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April 24th
Why this day will forever be a day worth celebrating. The lights are really dim in the guest room in my parents guest room because I donβt want to wake my daughter, but I know that I need to write out this post before I go to bed because if I donβt, it wont get done this week. April 24th is coming to a close. This day has always been significant because it was the day that my little brother defied all odds and survived birth and is still alive today. He, just by being with us, is a miracle, so to celebrate him is very special. Zach has a…
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mood.
I didnβt grow up celebrating Advent. I vaguely remember getting things around Christmas where I could punch things out of cardboard and there would be prizes or candy inside, so Iβm assuming that is what that was. I usually just opened them all at once, though. My understanding of Advent didnβt really surface until I was in Seminary. Now that I am a mom, my husband, Justin, and I want to implement Advent as something that our daughter, Lucy, looks forward to every year. This is the build up to the celebration of the birth of our Savior. Now, of course we can take a deep dive into how Jesus…
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Swim
In 2009, I went touched down in Austin, Texas for the first time. Walking across the campus of UT Austin for the Hell Froze Over Tournament, I entered the classroom where I was to compete in Poetry along with a group of other collegiate forensics members.Β I saw a man walk up and give tribute to his brother who had passed away and was also well known on the speech circuit. One of the key words he used in his performance was from “Swim” by Jack’s Mannequin, a song I was familiar with, but never fully listened to. The words stuck with me starting on that day, though. You gotta…
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Christians Gave Me Unrealistic Expectations of Love
From when I was young, I had a dream where I would be whisked away by Prince Charming. He would be tall, and muscular, rough around the edges, with a soft spot for me. I could depend on him for anything, and would never have to question his actions, motives, ideas…we would have a perfect life. When I started a relationship with Christ when I was a freshman in high school, this mentality didn’t change. Instead, it became wrapped in the theology I was attempting to understand. If I am x amount devoted to God, then God will provide me with a man (described above). A few years later, I…
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That Time I Hung Out with Monks
Christ in the Desert Monestary is possibly one of the most unique places I have been. While in seminary, I had the chance to spend about a week with Benedictine Monks, my professor Dr. Gloer, and a handful of my colleagues. Daily prayers beginning at 4 a.m. and meals in complete silence were all apart of our schedule, along with work either in the office or in the garden, class, reading, and exploring. Without going into a ton of detail, I made frienimies with Father Christian.Β Now, Father Christian was a no noncence man of God who lived tried and true to Ora Et Labora. He was a man of…
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My “Injured” Reputation
I have a tendency to get injured a lot. I donβt know what it is. I donβt know why. It just happens. From breaking my nose in a mud pit, to spraining my ankle dancing to the YMCA, and falling off a bus in Israel, injury follows me around. I hated this fact about myself. I hated that this was my descriptor. Not because I hated getting hurt, but because of how much attention it drew to me. β I know what you are thinking, especially those who know me who are reading this, βSam not wanting to draw attention? Yeah right.β Laughter is in my DNA. Any type of…
