Christ, Coffee, and Cornfields

  Being engaged is one of the most amazing stages of life, but it's also one of the most exasperating! You've found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, and you love them with everything you are....well, almost. There's this little "issue" with practicing chastity. Couples who aren't married yet choose to not share their bodies.   This isn't restricted just to engaged couples, either! Jordan and I definitely felt the frustration during our dating period, as well. We have discerned that God wants us to marry each other, so we're moving toward the sacrament. Jordan and I are constantly learning new things about each other, which strengthens and deepens the love we share. The closer we get in a nonphysical way, the more our bodies want to catch up.   The human body is a complex network on multiple planes, and everything is connected. Our minds and souls are connected to our bodies, although the two former aspects of a person are co...

  I know it's not New Year's yet, but I've been reflecting quite a bit over 2016 lately. Sometimes I think people get a little OD'd on all of the posts that come around January 1, and occasionally all of the resolution and reflection can get overwhelming. With finals week upon me, learning to split holidays between my family and Jordan's, wedding planning, the election ruckus that keeps coming up on my news feed, and the tragedy that just struck Sioux Falls fresh in my head, my mind has been racing in all sorts of directions.   You know, worry and depression are best friends. I swear they go together better than peanut butter and jelly. It's an unfortunate thing that negatives come in pairs, and Satan loves to unleash them together, especially around the holidays. His other favorites are tragedy and despair, along with failure and unforgiveness (especially of one's self). Sometimes the devil's pets travel in packs, seeking to prey on the vulnerable. On...

  Jordan is always telling me to not worry about "what ifs." I tend to overthink things (I know, shocker), so his constant reminding me to live in today and not tomorrow is needed. Sometimes I get into a rut of negative thinking that is made up of "what if" scenarios that are silly to be concerned about because we can't magically reach into tomorrow and change anything, if it's even there to be changed to begin with.   What if we don't find a photographer for our wedding?   What if I'm not smart enough to be a nurse?   What if we can't have children?   What if Jordan or my family dies in a car crash?   What if our house starts on fire?   What if I accidentally filled in the wrong bubble on my ballot when I voted?!   My excuse for these thoughts is that, technically speaking, all of these situations are feasible. These things could happen. We live in an absolutely broken world, which isn't how the Lord wanted it, but he...

  Life is a fascinating thing. I think what makes it so is the unpredictability, the moments and times that throw us for a loop or catch us off guard. It's especially interesting to reflect on times of trial. My life over the last few months has certainly been tumultuous. Lots of things have been going on and taking place that haven't been very good. However, as I'm sitting in this difficult period and thinking and praying about it all, I have noticed two key things.   1) The good things in life are made better when they come during times of struggle. Think about this: do we appreciate the beauty of a single flower more when it's in a blooming garden or when it's surrounded by weeds and thorns? A single rose is far more alluring when it is the only one on a thorn bush than when it's in a bouquet.   The program I'm in required that I take a class which I wasn't very happy about taking. It met 8 hours a week and easily had another 5 in outside work to...

  Jordan and I recently finished a month long social media detox. This did not include Pinterest (one does not simply give up Pinterest!), but focused mainly on Facebook because that tends to be the site that we wasted the most time on. We both felt that we spent an unhealthy amount of time on Facebook, and we certainly did. I remember having this pull to check my feed every 10 or 15 minutes even though there would be nothing new. It's safe to say I had an addiction.   I knew I was addicted to it, and it was a tremendous burden on me. That's so silly, isn't it?!?! Facebook is an awesome way to stay in touch with friends and family. In some cases, that's the main mode in which I communicated with people, especially in regards to retreats and such. I get my news, weather, and Steelers updates from Facebook or Twitter. Why is it a burden? Because I made it one.   It's sooo easy for us, especially women, to gauge our self worth by w...

  This is a post I wish I didn't have a need to write. Unfortunately, due to the fallen nature of being human, death is something we will all have to deal with in our lifetimes. This may be the death of a friend, family member, spouse, acquaintance, or even a well known celebrity or political figure. In some capacity, death will find its way into all of our lives and affect us in ways we never knew possible.   Yesterday, our community was reminded of the fragility of life when a teenage boy who was loved by everyone who knew him was killed in a car accident. It was a shock. As I write this, it's still a shock. It's pain. It's confusion. A sudden, tragic death is not something that we are meant to handle. The Lord does not want this for us at all! Death is not something that is of God. Neither is pain. Humans are created to love and to be happy, serving God in every way possible. How is death part of the picture??   As humans, we are broken. It's not somethin...

  I really get a kick out of looking at Facebook's relationship status options. There's the typical "single," "married," and "divorced," but then you also have "in a domestic partnership," "in an open relationship," and even an "it's complicated" option! Oh, the joys of having lots of choices. It seems like Facebook has all the bases covered....well, except for the one I'm looking for.   I want an "in a courtship" option.   Am I sounding medieval yet? Hold on, let me explain. In the fast paced world we are so fortunate to be living in (and we are, I love indoor plumbing and electricity!!), the process of finding a lifelong mate, AKA a spouse, has become quite the challenge. The way most people go about it is not the way God calls us to. Marriage is a sacrament , and therefore should be approached with the reverence and care that it deserves. It's not a decision to be taken lightly because this...