Posts by Caroline

Living with Some regrets in Order to Live without Regret.

Posted by Caroline on Jul 10, 2011 in Fitness, The Backpack | 0 comments

The triathlon is in 2 weeks.

This is how I feel:

As I set off to run in the Texas heat my entire being thinks,

“WHY ON EARTH AM I DOING THIS?”

and then I regret my impulsive decision to register for TriWaco.

But the other half of me knows that I will never regret registering for the death of me after I complete the triathlon.

Half the things that we will never regret doing are the most difficult things to do.  Like, right now Clayton is regretting agreeing to take a Country Western Dance class that starts tomorrow, but when we graduate the class, we’ll be so proud of ourselves.  No, but really– good relationships, attaining knowledge, thriving churches, happy living– everything worth it takes work, and the work we momentarily regret will be eternally worth it.  We’ll never Regret that.

What is something that was tough at the time but you’re now glad you didn’t quit?

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I would have told you…

Posted by Caroline on Jul 8, 2011 in The Backpack | 0 comments

I took an unintentional blogging hiatus.

If I had blogged during that time I would have told you…

• I rode a little airplane which left from an airport without security and check in was on a laptop.  Scary? um yesss.
• I spent a week at home which I haven’t been able to do since CHRISTMAS!
• my mom celebrated her (_ _ )birthday.  I’m disclosing her age to be “polite” but really her years only reflect her wisdom and the years that the world has been graced with her life.  Thus, all 53 should be celebrated, right?
• I played a mini golf game and disputably beat James by 1.  It felt soo good.  Too bad no one else realized my win.
• I made it back to Texas and jumped into taking Scriptures 4 at Truett.

I’m so blessed, and so are you.  Dwell on this and it will transform your weekend (and those who spend time with you!)

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New Church Plant

Posted by Caroline on Jun 28, 2011 in Orthopraxis | 0 comments

I joined a new church plant.

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We don’t have staff. Yet.

Or a website.

Or fancy email addresses.

Or coffee before the services.

Or a band.

Structure is being developed.

Volunteers are being found.

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Still,

The community is being reached.

New believers are being added.

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Seeing faith grow from nothing and seeing new light among darkness, reminds me that we’re just a bunch of humans trying to do church.  All our efforts are just a response to the invitation that  God offers for us to come be with him– and our efforts are only fruitful because of His grace.

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It’s so refreshing to my faith.

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there’s so much more coming about this little group of 30 people.

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Zoom Out

Posted by Caroline on Jun 27, 2011 in Amazing Grace, The Backpack | 0 comments

This is the day the Lord has made. I know.

but this is also the day that I lost that silly little detached key and searched for it for an hour after mustering all strength to get out of bed to run at 7 a.m.  I wandered around the house, emptied the trash, and practically lost my mind.  Got quotes on replacements and tow trucks and the like.

and as it always happens, I found it just in time to make it to work on time.  The key was sitting in the laundry room right where I left it.

When I got to work I was flustered.  I felt like I had wasted my morning and pretended like I wanted to run (who am I kidding?).

I later learned that there were some armed robberies around campus this morning.

BAM. a-HA. snap out of small worldview, self-focused Caroline-world.

I probably would have been fine if I ran at 7, though safety is a mighty fine reason not to run and will likely be used as an excuse tomorrow morning.  But nonetheless, the a-HA moment reminded me that simple disruptions to our plans sometimes happen for reasons beyond our comprehension.

Next time I’m frustrated I need to zoom out a little and transition from “knowing” to acting like this is the Lord’s day.

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When Baking Soda Doesn’t Work

Posted by Caroline on Jun 27, 2011 in Amazing Grace | 0 comments

I am now settled into my new house.  It’s de-boyified, clean, classy, and girly finally.  It’s home.

Yet, we have one major problem.  Even though the refrigerator looks spotless, there’s a stench.  Sometimes it’s worse than others and sometimes grace allows you to breathe after reaching inside for 3 seconds.  Other times you feel sick and no longer want your turkey sandwich.  I always hesitate before I open because I’m not sure what I’m going to… whiff.

We’ve tried the baking soda trick to no avail.  There’s something deeper going on—something hidden behind the scenes.

The spotless fridge is deceiving, and it makes me think of the heart.  Sometimes we fashion our actions to perfection, yet inside we’re still crumbling or… stinking.  The basic fixes of baking soda are no longer working for a discontent heart.

May we not stop by throwing away the boys’ mayonnaise and wiping the crumbs on the shelf; let’s examine the drip dish (I just learned about this) and vacuum the cords in the back (I’ve got work ahead of me).

Cleaning can be nasty but it’s never as nasty as the continual, residual smell.  Happy cleaning, friends.

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