Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Livin the Part-Time Dream

I cannot believe the month of August is practically here. Where the heck did the last two months of summer go? As I was sorting soggy towels, seating guests, and gazing at the most amazing view all day at work, time flew by! Life at the Montage has been such a great learning experience. I love my managers, the people I work with, and seriously NOTHING beats the view. Absolutely nothing. Two months out of college and I have the best "office" I'll probably ever have! I now have a very unreasonable expectation for what any future office I have should be like;)
Yes this is really what I get to look at all day. 
(no I didn't take this picture myself!)

In the last two months I have lived in six different places. Many people, especially at work, are baffled at this nomad lifestyle that is my reality this summer. But really it's nothing new for me. The last three summers I lived out of one suitcase and a sleeping bag and moved every seven days. This summer my stuff is all packed in my car, I get a bed, and have been staying in the homes of so many gracious people for at least two weeks at time. It's quite luxurious compared to summers past! I have met and gotten to know so many incredible people in my nomadic adventures this summer. The Lord has been so faithful in providing homes with loving people to live with who are close to work. I have loved having conversations about faith and life with my beloved hosts as I've moved this summer. Praying about a more permanent living situation in the fall. God has been so faithful in providing loving and gracious people to live with this summer and I am trusting that he will provide a place and roommates for whatever is next!
When people have asked how my summer has been, I usually answer (with a hint of sarcasm), "I'm livin the part-time dream!" I never really thought life would be the way it is right now. Living by the beach, having a part-time seasonal job at a hotel, and having no idea what is next definitely has it's pros and cons. With so many changes and unknowns, God has been constant through it all. As I have thought and processed so many things this summer, God has reminded me that he is ALWAYS good. He is loving and has a sovereign plan. I would say up to this point in my life, most things have been fairly predictable. Before one job ended I had the next lined up, school always started in the fall, and I got to choose my work schedule for the most part. While things aren't as predictable and I wait every Wednesday for my work schedule to find out what time I have to show up each day, there are so many blessings in my life. I think the best part is that I get to be in the sunshine everyday, either at work or laying out on my days off. I have spent so many hours in the sun this summer and it is the greatest! I have prayed and worshipped and processed and meditated so much while laying in the sun. There is no place on earth I feel closer to the Lord. I love feeling sunshine on my skin. I'm thankful that I get to do this so often these days:)
This next week I am starting a new *temporary* job at Biola as the Parent Program Coordinator. I will be filling in while someone is on maternity leave. It will be weird to be on campus when students move in and on the first day of classes but I am so blessed that God has allowed to return to a place I love so dearly, even if just for a short time! I am going to continue to work at Montage and I am so thankful both places are willing to be flexible with hours!
So for now, I have two part-time jobs and I am livin the dream! Nothing compares to life by the beach. While I feel like everything in my life, especially work and housing, is temporary and part-time, everyday is a full-time dream with God. His blessings blow me away everyday. Every college graduate longs for stability, income that is higher than minimum wage so we can pay off that million dollar degree we just earned, and to understand big kid life stuff like taxes and 401K plans and credit scores. Right now I don't have any of these things but I do have a God who loves me and never leaves me and is guiding me towards what he has next for me. The last week has been especially difficult buying into the lies of this world but each day God has reminded me through scripture, a conversation, and monarch butterflies, that he is good. If we go through life living for someday, we will miss out on all God has for us today. So today, despite the part-time status of most things in my life, I am livin the full-time dream with God. Praise him from whom all blessings flow!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Beginning of the Beginning

As my time at Biola wraps up, there are lots of last assignments, last meetings, and last things that are happening. When the semester started there were a lot of “last firsts” as well, “last first day of school”, “last first meeting”, “last first event”. As I’ve been reflected on the past year and my four years at Biola, I am blown away at the Lord’s goodness. Seeing the way he has orchestrated each detail, each class, each friendship, and each opportunity, has been incredible. A few weeks ago when the final countdown to graduation began (though I’ve been counting down the days for months!) I felt inclined to think, “Welp this is it, the beginning of the end”. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought, “This is not the end, it is simply a transition into the beginning of a new season.”
My senior year at Biola has been nothing short of incredible. An absolute dream. From loving apartment life to having the amazing opportunity to plan events in a role I love more than I ever thought I would, to becoming a real crossfitter, running two half marathons, to laughter and tears, I would not trade this year, or my entire Biola experience, for the world. As great as this year has been, I know it is coming to an end and as I reflect, I am so thankful for all the Lord has taught me and allowed me to experience. I am thankful for each friendship, each professor, each late night, each crazy decision, each hard conversation, and each beautiful memory.
As I move somewhere new and start at a new job, find new ways to spend my time (other than writing papers or lesson plans..hallelujah!), figure out how the heck I’m going to pay my student loans off, meet new people, look for new community, and grow as an individual, I know that God is guiding each step I take. God is preparing me for what he has ahead. This week is not the beginning of the end of my time at Biola, it is the beginning of the beginning of something new and exciting.


Praise him from whom all blessings flow.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

God of the Details

I. LOVE. DETAILS. I love detail-oriented things. I love noticing details. I love remembering deails. And I love that we serve a God who is a God of the details! Not a single moment goes by that he doesn't orchestrate. This is something that I have become very aware of this semester. My job this year serving as the Social Events Coordinator at school has showed me how much I absolutely love planning and coordinating events. I love that this position has allowed me to pay close attention to detail in everything I have done. In taking time to reflect on the last four years at Biola as the end draws near, my eyes have been opened to how the Lord has orchestrated every single detail during my time here. In the classes I took each semester, the people I met and interacted with, the positions I've held, and the chapels I attended, God has orchestrated it all. He knew how each detail would play role in bringing me to the place I am today and to where he is taking me next.
In my recent {quite crazy} decision to not pursue student teaching, I have felt like a "normal" college kid who is in need of a job post-graduation. The Lord has been so good and provided a job and I have been given the opportunity to move to Laguna Beach and work at the Montage Hotel for the summer. I am so excited to see what this this summer has in store! Six months ago I thought I'd be heading to camp in a few weeks and coming home to student teach in the fall. I had no idea that the Lord would allow me to move to the beach (my absolute favorite place in the whole wide world!) and work for an incredible company! 
I have been blown away at what God has done and has been doing in my life during my time here at Biola!! We serve such a BIG GOD. A God who knows every single detail of our lives. As much as we think it would be helpful, and as much as we would like to know, if we knew every single thing that would happen, we would shut down. We would give up. Being the detail-loving and planning person that I am, I of course want to know what is coming next or how something will work out. But God reveals to us exactly what we need to know, when we need to know it. I like to say the Lord is perpetually punctual. Sometimes this is hard to accept, but I would much rather have God's will for my life, not my own. He sees everything at all times, and I have a very narrow of view of what is going on most of the time. We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7. We can have faith in our GREATER God that he has got it all under control!
I am so glad that we serve a God who knows every detail of the events of our lives. I know on event day there are lots of things that are happening that other people do no know happen because they don't see the event rundown I've created. They aren't orchestrating every detail of the day. {And even though I think I am in charge of what happens on event day...God orchestrates that too. No matter how accurate I think the event rundown is!} Just like many people do not know what is happening behind the scenes at an event, I do not know every little thing God is doing in my life all the time. But I know that I can trust that God will fill me in when I need to know. He is sovereign and has created an event rundown for my life. Things are happening as they need to be and I all I can do is trust that the Greatest Event Planner of all times is taking care of all the details:)
Planning and trusting always,
Amanda

Monday, February 10, 2014

Sovereign

This last weekend I got to spend lots of time with my roommate Claire. We laughed, talked, did ridiculous things, tried to do homework, and listened to lots of music. We blasted country music (because Makenna wasn't home and she hates country music!) and shared our favorite worship songs. Claire played a song for me by Chris Tomlin that so perfectly describes what God has been constantly reminding me of the last few weeks. As I think about graduating soon (like in 102 days soon!), where I am moving for the summer, and what I am doing next year, God has given me a peace that surpasses all understanding in knowing that he is SOVEREIGN. He is before and above all things. He is all-knowing. Every time I begin to fret about finding a job, making a career choice, or even just paying for groceries, God whispers to me "Trust Me, child". TRUST. ME. CHILDThe detail-oriented, list-making, planner in me goes a little crazy but is able to take a deep breath at the same time. This song says "In your everlasting arms, all the pieces of my life, from beginning to the end, I can trust you." As I've been praying for this semester and this year and what will happen after graduation, there is nothing I can do but trust God. Claire and I were talking over dinner one night and she reminded me that we are loved by the God who moves mountains why wouldn't we trust him? Ain't that the truth. I have not be able to stop listening to this song since I heard it on Saturday and love it because it so perfectly describes where I am right now. We serve a God who is GREATER than the unknown. A God who is working now for things that are going to happen in the future. Each day I have to trust him. "God whatever comes my way, I will trust you." When Claire told me it was a Chris Tomlin, I was a little surprised I had never heard it before, but I know that I did hear at the exact time I needed to. God has been reminding me each day that is sovereign over all. May you find peace in this incredible truth today.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

God is a Faithful God

I really love New Years. Maybe it's because of the traditions of having a house full of people over on New Year's Eve and making lots of noise in the driveway at midnight, maybe it's sleeping in and waking up to watch the Rose Parade, or maybe it's the tradition of having pork roast and sauerkraut on New Year's Day. While these lovely things are all a part of the reason I love New Years, I think the sense of hope and excitement so many people feel is what makes today one of my favorite holidays.

So many people reflect on the many blessings from the last year and wait with eager expectation of what the next year holds and I can't help but praise God for his goodness and faithfulness in my life. This last year was filled with so many wonderful things and I am in awe of how great our God is. As I was reflecting on what 2013 held, I was blown away at God's faithfulness. I would say the highlights of last year were running two half-marathons when I never thought I would do that in a million years, working at Mount Hermon in Santa Cruz and learning what it meant to live an upside life and trust Jesus in a way I never had before, getting to plan events for AS at school as the Social Events Coordinator and realizing how much I truly LOVE planning events, and joining Crossfit Brea and getting to be a part of a new community I never imagined I would enjoy so much. Thinking about all the amazing experiences I had in the last year, God has been so incredibly faithful in providing work, friendships, endurance, and blessings in my life. At the very beginning of 2013, I registered for my first half-marathon. I had no idea what a life changing experience that would be! Working at Mount Hermon was such an amazing experience I will never forget and I am so thankful for every moment of this last summer. My job in AS planning events has been such a dream and I am so blessed to be in my position every day. I had no idea I would love my job and the people I work with so much. I think leaving my job in May is going to be one of the hardest parts about leaving Biola. Crossfit has been such a blessing in my life and I so thankful that God led me to Crossfit Brea last semester. I have enjoyed getting to know other people, loved working with new trainers, and have loved a new approach to fitness.

As I look ahead to 2014, I am so excited to see what our amazing and faithful God has in store. I'm not entirely sure of what the next year will look like but I know that God has never proven himself not faithful and he will not start now! He will guide me where I am supposed to work after graduation, provide a place to live, and help me finish college (and survive another dreadful TPA). This is going to be a year of new adventures and trusting the Lord like never before! With the uncertainty of what life will look like in just a few, short months, I find peace in knowing that God is SOVEREIGN. As you look ahead with expectations of what this new year will hold for you, rest in the grace and faithfulness of our sovereign Lord!