$10 love

i am trying to get over the shock of a New Year, which includes, but is not limited to, writing '08 on my checks instead of '07.

in the last year i have worked 3 jobs, been unemployed for two months, and lived in two different places. adjusting to change is a gift of mine that did not exactly ask for. i emerged from 2007 with some thick skin and a multifarious resume. gosh, i had some rough times, and i still have nightmares about some of them. there were moments where i questioned my sanity, and tried to remember how i got here and why. up until september, the why part was still a bit blurry.

now, every day is a reminder why.

my roommates are a reminder why. one loves Jesus and the other can't stand to hear His name.

my rent is a reminder why. i would not pay that much for a tiny apartment if there wasn't a reason.

the homeless people on my street and the fact that i know their names are a reminder why.

my Church is a reminder why. it is an exemplification of love in a city of so many unloved.

i went back and read my blog entry from this time last year. not much has changed regarding my "new life resolution" to "make the best use of the time because the days are evil." i still desire to live life with this notion, however i feel like now, 365 days later, i actually know what it looks like.

A few weeks ago my Pastor gave a sermon on what it means to give more, not only during the holiday season, but in our daily lives. at the end of the service, i and the other deacons passed out ten dollar bills to every person in the congregation with the instruction to bless someone in our city. a blog was created for the purpose of sharing the stories.

as i read story after story, i was stirred by the ripple of love that is infiltrating the streets of new york. i'm still praying for the Lord to show me where to use my $10. maybe Sandra will be on her usual street corner this evening by the pizza place. maybe she'd like to share a coffee, reminisce about another year gone and what to do to make this year better...

harkey thanksgiving

November 20; 8:42 pm CT

i step off the tiny plane at the airport in Monroe Louisiana. my nose recognizes the familiar stench of the paper factory, similar to the odor of a skunk. it's oddly comforting.

i am greeted my the smiling faces of my gran and grandaddy. the first thought to pop into my head is how similar my mom and gran look. it's becoming more and more apparent each year.

"hello honey," gran says, but imagine the "o" drawn out more like "haaawny." i especially like the way my grandparents say my name, "jeewyah." no one else says it the same.

as we drive to their house on island drive, they ask me about my life in the city and how i'm enjoying my new job. i gladly oblige and gush over how happy i am with where i am and what i am doing. how the Lord is blessing apostles church and how humbled i am to be in the heart of this blessing. i tell them i am learning the hardships and joys of planting a church, and that there isn't a doubt in my mind that God is going to do inconceivable things through the people of Apostles.

i tell them that i can't put into words what it means to have their support in ministry.

tradition

as far back as i can remember, we've spent thanksgiving at my gran and grandaddy's house in Louisiana. since my family on my mom's side lives in Mississippi, we all meet in the middle once a year. over time, the family has grown. i have seven younger cousins between the ages of 9 and 20. i remember them all as babies.

we look forward to this holiday with great anticipation and expectation, knowing with certainty that our traditions are waiting for us at gran and grandaddy's.



the harkeys

5 pm is open bar for the harkey's. the adults sip on martinis or g and t's and are content with sitting in the living room reading novels or working on a puzzle together. there's always a puzzle.

scrabble is a must. at least one game is played every thanksgiving. it's fun to play with auntie alison. she jokingly cusses in her quirky scottish/southern accent. my gran is the champion, a walking scrabble dictionary, but one time, one glorious thanksgiving a couple of years ago, i did beat her.





the meal

food, of course, is essential for this holiday, and we never fail to eat well and eat a lot.

one can expect a delicious smoked turkey, gran's famous dressing, auntie alison's sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, and some good old fashion roles. it's not thanksgiving without my aunt robin's delectable chocolate cakes.

my favorite part of the meal, though, is not the food, but circling to pray before we eat. for the past few years my three cousins, megan, leah, and lorna, read a prayer that they write together. they do this on their own initiative.






football

it ain't thanksgiving without the A&M/UT game. we always watch it in gran and grandaddy's room because that's where the lazy boy's are. if you want to keep your chair, though, you have to stay in it.

for the second year in a row, A&M won.

whoop.




bonfire



a few years ago, a new tradition emerged.

on friday night, my uncle matt builds a small bonfire on the other side of the levi. we roast marshmallows.

this year, we sat around it and sang old girl scout songs and a little beatles, too. i don't know who started it, but many of us ended up in a huge dogpile, aunts and uncles included. everyone was laughing hysterically.

i'd say we're pretty close.




till next year...

i said goodbye to the family early Saturday morning, made the round of hugs, and hugged some twice.

i boarded the tiny plane in the monroe airport.

it was dark as i was flying into new york. lights of all colors, sparkled as far as i could see. peering out the window, it looked like we were soaring across a giant christmas tree.

taxi?

cab drivers decided to celebrate labor day a couple days late. the city streets are eerily despoiled of their commonplace yellow vehicles, and relentless blasting horns. more people are on foot today, which could be worse if the weather wasn't so perfectly affable.

for the cab drivers, 5 am this morning commenced the public manifesto to withstand the installation of GPS tracking systems and credit card machines in the 1300 cabs. although determined to help passengers and drivers get to their destination more efficiently, the system is frowned upon by the TWA members, who claim it is more "stalker-like" than helpful. and so, the strike will continue for another 24hours or so, in hopes of deferring Big Brother's roaming eye and the threat of plastic over paper.

good luck, drivers.

the forecast for today:

NYC:
high: 74
humidity: 40%

Austin:
high: 92
humidity: 55%

i'm loving the east coast today!

lexington avenue

She’s walking down Lexington Avenue
It’s nearing 7 in the evening
She passes a basketball court
A game is going on
Looks like middle school boys

She smiles as she surveys the crowd of onlookers
Peering through the iron bars surrounding the court
Men and women in business suites
Having just exited the subway station on the corner
Some are enraptured in the game
Savoring the youthful sport after a long day of board meetings and computer screens
And in the midst of squeaking shoes and boisterous coaches
It is peaceful

After a moment
She continues walking down Lexington Avenue
The ground rumbling beneath her feet
She marvels at the slight touch of a breeze playing with her hair
It’s tricky to tell how or why
But she is suddenly arrested by a single thought:
She
Is
Happy

Lost in reverie
She raises her eyes to the sky
Giving thanks in her heart for impenetrable gifts
And every thing that she’s been through
Before this walk down Lexington Avenue

amy's ice creams and texas barbeque

i took a trip to austin...

where the city noises are replaced by cicadas' chattering calls; and the new-york minutes by lone-star naps.

where the Ford F150 is the luxury vehicle of choice, and patriotism is displayed in burnt orange and "hook 'em horns"

where weird comes naturally and is emboldened and maintained in writing on the backs of Tyler's tees

where people know what "let's get on down to the Oasis" actually means

where you can say "y'all" all you want, and not be made fun of

where home will always be, no matter how metropolitanized i may become



are we there yet?

my flight home was the longest 4 hours of my life. i hope i never again have to wait 7 months to go home. i passed the time watching the chosen feature, Spiderman 3, reading the new Harry Potter book, and making small-talk with the amusing girl next to me who was returning from a two month tour with her rock star dad, lead singer of Tito and Tarantula.

the ride home from the airport was just about as agonizing, but when we pulled into the driveway, and i saw my niece and nephew outside waiting for me, i was out the door and into their arms before the car even came to a stop.

"c'mon, unt Guh, wet's pway wing awound the wosie" Luke said as he tugged me by the hand, just as if we'd never been apart.





shh...

i went running one morning up and down the neighborhood hills, savoring the humid air that smelled of freshly cut grass. (man, this place is gorgeous, and the sky is so expansive and blue). of the mere 5 or so people i passed, every one of them smiled, waved, or said, "how ya do". when i reached the middle of my street i stopped, took my earphones out, and listened. there was no one in sight, i heard not one car or any man-made sound, just birds and insects. and for a moment, i closed my eyes, and pretended i was the only person on earth. it felt nice.


a means to a beginning

a month of refining and renewing. my journal is awash with assessments of past and present mistakes, and inquiries for a seemingly silent God. i attempted to fixate on not worrying. such a simple concept and commandment, yet one of the most onerous for me to master. i wrestled with coveting an instantaneous solution, instead of succumbing to the procedure. Oswald puts it so well: "God is not working toward a particular finish-His purpose is the process itself."

i couldn't figure out why, but i was dragging my feet on the whole job search. i had no clue what i should be looking for, and even contemplated moving back to tx; be close to my family. the thought was unsettling, though, because i knew i couldn't bring Apostles with me. of all things that make up my experiences in this giant, fluctuating city, my church has remained the most constant. i have never wavered in the Lord's purpose for me there. i knew if i would be willing to move somewhere for a job, i should be willing to stay somewhere for a church. i've inadvertently waited my whole Christian life for a church like this- i still can't believe it actually exists.

and so, i knew i must wait. if the Lord doesn't tell me to move, then i stay put.

i am happy to report that the waiting is over. my pastor graciously offered me a position of ministry with the church. God's silence was immediately reversed, and His asseveration was loud and clear. my dragging feet have been tap dancing ever since.

i will be focusing on the collegiate and women's ministries, which i couldn't be more excited about. i am currently working on raising monthly support, as the church is yet too young to provide a salary. Please let me know if the Lord is leading you to be involved in this important ministry. i would be happy to send you a support letter and share with you a little more about my passion for this church and the people of new york city.

won't you praise the Lord with me?

just what the Doctor ordered

the Lord sent me a gift for 5 days. He knew just what i needed. having my best friend with me in the place that live was like breathing home air. there's only so much you can explain to a person over a cell phone; with Lisa here in the flesh, i could sigh and say, "now I can show you what my life is like." it took us a couple hours to warm up to one another and see that we are still the same people that we were before separated by distance, just with new history on our plates. i can't express what this girl means to me. we know each other so well, that we still say things at the same time, and can read each other like books. that, thankfully, hasn't changed.

the good Lord used her this week to encourage my heart and confirm my purpose here. hearing her say, "Jules, as much as i want you with me in austin, i know you're supposed to be here. i know it." i needed her thumbs up and pats on the back. i have a renewed desire to reclessly abandon my life to the Father and His sovereignty over every circumstance. His goodness shone in Lisa and i still feel it, even though she left yesterday.