don't waste your life

If you are a Christian, you are not your own. Christ has bought you at the price of his own death. You now belong doubly to God: He made you, and he bought you. That means your life is not your own. It is God’s. Therefore, the Bible says, “Glorify God in your body.” God made you for this. He bought you for this. This is the meaning of your life.

If you are not yet a Christian, that is what Jesus Christ offers: doubly belonging to God, and being able to do what you were made for. That may not sound exciting. Glorifying God may mean nothing to you. That’s why I tell my story in the first two chapters, called “Created for Joy.” It was not always plain to me that pursuing God’s glory would be virtually the same as pursing my joy. Now I see that millions of people waste their lives because they think these paths are two and not one. 

The path of God-exalting joy will cost you your life. Jesus said, “Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” In other words, it is better to lose your life than to waste it. If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full. This is not a book about how to avoid a wounded life, but how to avoid a wasted life. Some of you will die in the service of Christ. That will not be a tragedy. Treasuring life above Christ is a tragedy. 

--john piper, don't waste your life

year-round wreath

i wasn't able to get much craftiness done over break, but i did manage to accomplish this: taking down the Christmas wreath (yes...it was still up) and creating this one for our home! i made it to be my year-round wreath since we clearly struggle with changing out decorations.

i bought everything i needed at hobby lobby (thank you, gift card!) the vine wreath base was $4.99. the "h" was $2.50 (but then 50% off). the flowers were $7.99 (but then they were 50% off). the paper colored flower was $2 on clearance. the feathers were $1.99 (2 bunches 50% off). so the total wound up being about $12! the materials were also so easy to work with! the flowers and feathers i just stuck into the wreath. the "h" was the most difficult part only because i had to paint it and then figure out how to hot glue it on a non-flat surface. super easy. super cute. super worth it. 

4 reasons i want to adopt a greyhound

if you are also now in love, go here.

reasons why i got into this mess

i randomly read an article today that reminds me why i signed up for this whole theatre teacher gig.
reading this article has inspired a new simple and probably sporadic blog series, where i am going to try to reexamine why i'm doing what i'm doing--my super-objective, if you will, as i would define it in my current drama 1 unit.

as some of you know from reading my past blog posts, i have really struggled with my job this year. for those of you who know me personally, you know that the struggle with my career choice started in college. but, by the grace of God, i have time and time again had it revealed to me that i am in a good, good place. so on with the series....

Reason #1 Why I Got Into This Mess Called Teaching Theatre
increasing empathy & collaboration in young people. something i have been overwhelmed with while teaching is how incredibly egocentric most people in this up and coming generation are. (i also recognize that this is probably true of a lot of people in my age group as well.) they do not want to work or collaborate with other people who are not exactly like them. even with students that are their friends they cannot work together and compromise on ideas and suggestions. further, it is like pulling teeth to get them to think through other people's world-views and convince them that the way they view the world is not the only way to view it. somedays i'm burned out, and i don't push and challenge my students to critical and empathetic thinking like i should. somedays i get them to pick their own partners even though i know it would be good to make them work with someone who is different than them. my laziness and/or exhaustion put aside, this field is the perfect avenue for forcing kids to think differently, to develop empathy and to work collaboratively, which is one of the main reasons i got into this mess called teaching theatre.
link to the article:
"how theatre for young people could save the world" by lauren gunderson

chuck town reunion pt. 2