A New Marriage and Old Friends

Oh man. What a night.

God blessed an amazing couple with union last night, and I was extremely blessed to be a part of it. :-) It was such an amazing wedding. The ceremony was amazing, and the message was great.

The party after the fact was amazing as well. I know it was a blessing for Alicia and Kory LaCroix, but it was also a blessing for me. I was able to reconnect with good friends from Northwestern that I haven't seen in 6 months or more. We danced the night away to 90s rap, polka, N*Sync, and everything in between.

I woke up this morning with a contentedness in my heart that could only be from God. He is good. He joined a faithful couple together and reunited old friends. His works are amazing.

Thank you, my dear friends, for an amazing night. God had His hand on the night.

Congratulations, Kory and Alicia!! Praying for your future as a married couple! God be with you on your journey!

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-20)

Broken at the Bou

Today I broke the bulk bean grinder at the Bou (Caribou if you were wondering). A coffee shop needs to be able to grind it's coffee. It's an important feature of what we do at Caribou. Serving coffee is pretty high on our priority list.

I have been at Caribou for almost four years. Yes, I do take time off for school, but I have worked every summer since I was 17. That's a long time. And yet, out of ignorance, I broke the bulk bean grinder.

I really didn't think it was that big of a deal until I told my manager. She then checked it and was like "oh no, oh no" and mouthed an expletive. I then understood the horror of what I had done.

Sitting in the lobby was the District Manager and a former store manager as well.

Oh, great.

My manager ended up having to call a guy to come and fix the grinder. My pride and self-assurance in my Caribou Coffee employment went down the drain.

How could I be that stupid? I mean, I've been there for four years! I do not screw up like this. I am not an absent-minded employee. I mean, really?

A few hours later, after continually screwing things up, I was standing in the back, drowning my sorrows in mucky dishwater. I mean I really wasn't sobbing or anything, but I was definitely reflecting on my idiocy.

Then I remembered what I read this morning in Ezra and what I promised myself I would remember throughout the day. It didn't completely apply at that moment; the significance of it really didn't click until now. But God is good and sovereign. He brought both of these passages to mind:

For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery.... (Ezra 9:9a)

and:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you...." (2 Corinthians 12:9a)

Now both passages were not in full, but as I look at them now, I see God connecting them to my day.

Christ reminded me that I am still a slave to my sin. Pride is my weakness. It shackles me to this earth, and I am helpless to fight against it. At least I am on my own. He then reminded me that His grace is all I need. Though I am a slave, God has not forsaken me. His grace is a gift He has given me, and that gift is sufficient even when I screw up at the Bou.

These little reminders were extremely significant to my situation today. Though it seemed like just a screw up at Caribou Coffee, it was really a reminder from my all-sufficient Savior that He loves me and his grace is sufficient when my pride fails. Which it always does, and His always is. Sad that I forget that.

So today at Caribou, I screwed up. But I was broken before my God which is so much more important than Caribou Coffee could ever be.

All for His glory.

Not Just a Morning Morsel

So I've been really bad at doing my devotions this week. Like really bad. And it's really affecting my life. I can feel myself slipping backwards. It's a horrible feeling.

This morning I was heading out to open at my Caribou. It was really early. Like 4am early. I have no desire to be up at 4am. Ever. When I have kids, and they wake up and need Mommy at 4am, or when I am flying to some "exotic" place and need to be out of my house at 4am, okay, then 4am is understandable. I know this is work, and it's a priority and important. But 4am?? Okay.

4:40 rolled around, and I was all ready to head out the door, but what's the point of getting to work early when you are opening? So I sat down at the table again and opened my Bible.

I only had a few minutes to I wasn't able to read in Ezra or John (where I have been reading),but I had a book-marker at Psalm 79. A couple verses really stuck out to me:

Do not remember against us our

former iniquities;

let your compassion come

speedily to meet us,

for we are brought very low.

Help us, O God of our salvation,

for the glory of your name;

deliver us, and atone for our sins,

for your name's sake! (Psalm 79:8-9)

These verses really outlined how I was feeling. I needed to be brought low, and I was. My ache was for God to meet me there. He answered my silent, unconscious prayer.

After I finished up Psalm 79, my eye was drawn to a verse I had underlined in Psalm 80 when I read through the Psalms last year:

Restore us, O God;

let your face shine, that we may be saved! (Psalm 80:3)

The last time I successfully read my devotion, the chapter in Taste and See talked about finding a piece of Scripture to bask in all day. Not to attempt to survive on just a morsel in the morning and nothing else the rest of the day. One would starve.

I took this to heart and have tried to do this throughout the past days that I have spent time in the Word. Today, I meditated on Psalm 80:3. I needed restoration. My backsliding is unacceptable, and I needed restoration to a place where I could be in communication with Him. And with this verse, I was able to see it. My desire became to "let [His] face shine, that [I] may be saved!"

All for His glory.

Grandpa George

Oooh man. Have I got a story to tell you.

This is how I have started many a conversation in the past week.

But I'm not going to tell you those stories now. I am going to tell you about something a lot more interesting. Well, at least I think it's interesting.

Last weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to hang out with my grandparents of the Drahosh variety. Mom, Dad, and Grandma went to a retirement party for a little over an hour, and I got to hang out with my amazing Grandpa.

George is one of those amazing people who doesn't think he accomplished much in his life. However, my grandpa couldn't be more wrong.

1. He was a rural mail-carrier for a long time.

2. He was the fire chief and the mayor of Finlayson.

3. He fought in World War II and has a bronze star and a purple heart.

4. He grew up on a farm during the Great Depression.

5. He understands Czech and English.

Those are just a few of the things that my grandpa has done.

And now, his short-term memory is fading, but my grandpa, he sat and talked to be for over an hour about amazing things. He told me about his childhood, about what a man's role should be, about the cats, about the recent fire, etc.

It was a good day. My grandfather is amazing. He is a man I respect a lot, and I love him very much.

So I'm done gushing now, but I would encourage you to go find out about your grandparents' life. They are pretty amazing. Trust me. :-)

Chai Tea and Desires

Today is just a day. Today is just a day in an endless stream of days. But today, all I want to do it write. And drink chai tea. Preferably Big Train Chai, but Caribou chai would suffice as well.

But what to write about. What to say that would be significant, but also extremely interesting and a pleasure to read?

Honestly I don't know. I could tell you about my day. I could tell you about my weekend. I could go on and on about the books I've read for class, about the overwhelming nature of my next paper. But really, who wants to read about that?

I find myself desiring something other than I have today. I want the sun to be shining, I want to be sitting in a hip coffee shop (yes, hip), and I want to have no cares in the world. I want to be writing from my soul and not from my mind. I want the words to flow and the utterances to have meaning.

But you know what, I have nothing to say. I want to write, and I want to write well. I want to live in a time of life where stress is nonexistent, but for me, stress, whether good or bad, will always be around. Lord willing, I will learn how to deal with it without falling apart.

So that's my desire today. I want to be different and out there, but I'm not. I am who I am. The Lord has made me this way and put me in this place for a reason. SO here we go. Let's work for Him.

All for His glory.