Blog Hopping

It seems I just can't stay away. Today I have the privilege of guest posting on the Plant With Purpose blog. I share my thoughts on life abroad, serving internationally, and, basically, how awesome Plant With Purpose is. 

Please hop on over and check out my post, Confessions of an International Nonprofit Hopper.

Two Weeks' Notice

Would those who are grammatically inclined please confirm that this movie title should read "Two Weeks' Notice"?

Please consider this your "two weeks" notice that this blog will remain woefully unattended for the next two weeks.

I am in the middle of a very big transition: in just two weeks I will no longer be working as a grant writer for Plant With Purpose--the only post college job I've ever had. After I finish at Plant With Purpose, I will be preparing to move to Guatemala. (Lots to be excited about and try not to panic about.)

As my Bucket List at work nears the single digits, I have decided to take a blogging break to focus more time and energy on finishing well at Plant With Purpose. In addition to being an emotional mess, I also anticipate spending a considerable amount of extracurricular time happy houring with coworkers, compiling a Plant With Purpose Grant Writing Manifesto, and purging my desk of personal items such as my sling shot and bubbles, my trusty hammer, and the embarrassing Post-it note pledges I made to myself promising to finish XX proposal by 3 pm or that I will not check email until I finish writing the spring newsletter article.

These next two weeks will be good and hard and surreal. God has been building connections and giving me time to cultivate relationships that will allow me to do what I love to do in the country I would love to call home. I am excited for what's next, but it is going to be so tough to relinquish my role at Plant With Purpose and say goodbye to the coworkers that have become my family.

Over the next two weeks, if you find yourself checking back to the see if the blog is updated, please offer up a thought or a prayer for me as I finish my time at Plant With Purpose.

I would greatly appreciate prayers for focus, wisdom, and peace. Diligence, stamina, and grace. And for a sense of God's presence and even joy in these last days.

Thank you so much for your prayers and patience.

I'll see you back here in two weeks when I enter my temporary stint of "fun-employment" before moving to Guatemala. Also, check out the Plant With Purpose blog, where I will be sharing some reflections on my time there. 

Raindrops and Whiskers

Here are a few of my favorite things from the interwebs this week:

On blogging as a spiritual discipline: In Which Sarah Bessey Writes a Guest Post for Introverted Church. 

"Writing has given me permission to contemplate my life in a daily rhythm, looking for the touches and movement of God across the day."

"And sometimes the sharing of my life, especially the tender and still bruised parts of it, the parts without answers or neat bows of seven steps to whatever-it-is, is as much an offering to God as I can imagine, it’s sometimes the only way I know how to pray and worship."

On the Green Commission: Confessions of a Tree Hugger on Reject Apathy.

"God doesn’t want us to carelessly trash the planet in the name of progress, even if we think Jesus is coming back soon. He wants us to use it responsibly and to care for it."

 And Radical Discipleship: John Stott's final charge by Tim Hoiland. 

"I for one hope my generation will do better at setting an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity -- beginning with myself. And I pray we'll humbly, eagerly and intentionally seek to learn from those Christians who have been at it longer than we have -- even if they drive a gas-guzzling Buick instead of a Prius."

On the open arms of the Father: When was it ever about my deserving? Or Why the Gospel is Good News by Anita Mathias.

"And then I am chiding myself, “You’ve not dwelt in the heart of worship for a couple of weeks. You could have repented and surrendered and returned to live in Christ so much sooner!” And I am sort of thinking, “I don’t really deserve God’s help and blessing….” 

And then I realize, “When was it ever about my deserving?” 

You barely listen to my statements of failure. Instead you clothe me in your best robes. You put a ring on my finger, and sandals on my feet. You have a feast and celebrate, serving the best steak. There is music and dancing."

On What to Get Pops for Father's Day: Careers, Yard Work, Grilling, and Porcelain Thrones…We Have the Perfect Father’s Day Gifts! at Plant With Purpose. 

"Every family has a joke about dad’s “throne,” so why not help another father build a better and healthier future for his family by providing an ecological latrine."

Why not, indeed?

On how to navigate grief: Unmet Expectations and Grief by Erica McNeal over at Confessions of a Funeral Director. 

"The problem is that you, the grieving person, don’t know what you need and your loved ones don’t know how to help. This disparity often leads to a lot of conflict and unmet expectations, on both sides." 

"My encouragement to anyone who is grieving is that when you are hurt by words, action, or inaction, to discuss your hurt as soon as you can with the person who hurt you."

And my favorite prayer (not from the web, but from an old fashion contraption called a book):

"O God, since Thou art with me, and it is Thy will that I must now apply myself to these outward duties, I beseech Thee, assist me with Thy grace that I may continue in Thy presence. To this end, O Lord, be with me in this my work, accept the labor of my hands, and dwell within my heart all Thy fullness." Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

And of course my favorite photos from my brother and my Flag Day Celebration:

And then our decorating took a turn for the politically incorrect:  A People's History of Flag Day.

What were your favorite things this week?