Thursday, July 5, 2012

Oh it's July now?

It’s amazing to see how many boxes your life can fit into. I’m also amazed as to what I’ve collected over the past two years since moving into my own place. I’ve rediscovered some treasures and cringed at ones I was hoping I’d lost. Gao, my Chinese fisherman, is very excited to be moving on with me. However, the stack of magazines I’ve stashed away, well...they’re being relocated to the dumpster outside of my apartment. All this packing has led me to thinking about what I put my value in. Do I put my value in my possessions, or do I put them in Christ? If all of this, all of my movies, books, clothes, shoes, etc. were taken away from me, would I still be joyful? I've learned that the question is not "could/would I be happy?". Happiness is a fleeting emotion. Joy is something that can't be taken from you.

Yep. My blog just took a turn there. Feel free to stop if you want. I won’t be offended. Shoot. I won’t even know. 

After thinking about the question and really searching my heart, I've found that I would be joyful.Well that's easy for you to say now, you're not in the situation. You're right, I'm not in that situation. I don't think I would be happy that everything was gone. However, my parents, Tj & Bekah, and others have done a wonderful job in teaching me that it’s all just material things that are easily disposed of. Why would I put my joy in something that was so easily taken away? If and when I put my joy in Christ, nothing compares. 
When all is lost, I have everything. 
So I sit here, looking at these boxes that are piling up around me and have no emotion. I neither love nor loath them.  If you saw Gao, you’d probably laugh at the little Chinese man holding his rod and smiling at the fact that he’s caught a fish. And you’d be right, that’s exactly what he is. But to me, he reminds me of the first semester I took an interest in the Chinese culture or of an old friend. You see a tacky fish bowl...shaped like a fish? I see a flea market adventure with my marmee and finding something so tacky, it worked. & the home of the late Calvin & Calvin the Great (when I move into my new place I’m thinking of getting Calvin&Hobbs. Yes. All one word.). These things that I possess don’t keep me tied to this world yet they tell a small story of who I am. My ultimate joy comes through knowing I am a child of my Fathers. 
Chew on that.


Off of work. Packing. Fireworks. Friends. And officially done with summer school. It's been a great week. Austin this weekend. It will be Legen.....Wait for it because I'll tell you all about it on Monday ...dary. 



Ah it’s 11:38 pm and I’m still not:
Actress of the Week: Emma Stone – From Jules to Gwen Stacy
Emma Stone. I can’t get enough of her right now. Or ever. I don’t think she’s done a role that I haven’t liked yet. So now that The Amazing Spiderman is out and she is starring as the lovely Gwen Stacy, I’m going to have to go see it. My DVD player is constantly playing Easy A & Crazy, Stupid, Love. I’m sure if I owned more movies with her in it, they would be in rotation as well. Merp. I just want to be her best friend. 
What app am I hooked on? 
Epicurious. 
It’s this awesome app that has all different food recipes that are categorized by different needs, tastes, skill levels, etc. Perhaps you are a master cook, look at the more challenging recipes. Not so much? That’s okay, there’s a section for us too. Need idea for brunch, pasta, or meals that are kid friendly? They’ve got you covered. In the mood for a banana? Simply tell the app that, and you’ll get 234 recipe results. You can favorite those recipes that you want to try, and save them for later! WAIT. None of that is even the best part. The best part is that once you decide it’s time to make that meal, you can add it to your grocery list in the app. Want to make three meals from the app? All of the ingredients from all of your recipes are categorized neatly and easily for you! Your shopping trip just got a whole heck of a lot easier. It’s a free app. So download it, check it out, tell me what you think. 
Here’s the link to download it on your iphone or ipad: 

My guilty pleasure lately:
chocolate and a big glass of milk before bed. I don’t know why, but it helps me sleep so well. it’s probably not helping my tooth ache. Also, Mom...I have a tooth ache. We should probably get that checked out. 



My current read:
People have been raving about this book since it came out so I finally decided to devote my summer to reading it. I have to tell you, it lives up to the hype thus far. Occasionally I have to pull out a dictionary or a commentary over what I’m reading. And I have to be honest, I had no idea what Christian Hedonism was before I picked up this book. Let’s be honest again, I’m still not sure what it is. The book is helping me to learn what one is though, so hopefully by the end of it I’ll be able to tell you exactly what Christian Hedonism looks like. The statement the book is working off of is; The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. And we’re slowly breaking down that statement to see how it’s true. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to pick it up. 


With joy, 
Shelby


Ps! Shout out to my first follower, a dear friend of mine, Mrs. Thompson! Here's a link to her blog! And be sure to check it out...I'm a guest blogger! Wooo!
http://becca-thompson10.blogspot.com/

1 comment:

  1. The study guide for "Desiring God" is free on Piper's website and a really, really great challenge to go with the book. It's one of my favs! Also, loved your insight into joy vs. happiness. I admire your ability to not put your worth in your stuff. I'm constantly asking God to rid me of that!

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