Loving Natalie Grant’s new album, Love Revolution.  Especially this song.

Redemption.  Restoration.  Making a wasteland into the garden of the Lord.  Amen and Amen.

Isaiah 57:1-2 “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.  Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”

“Show Me” (Audrey Assad)

You could plant me like a tree beside a rive
You could tangle me in soil and let my rocks run wild
And I would blossom like a flower in the desert
But for now just let me cry

You could raise me like a banner in a battle
Put victory like a fire behind my shining eyes
I would drift like falling snow over the embers
But for now just let me lie

Bind up these broken bones
Mercy bend and breathe me back to life
But not before You show me how to die

Set me like a star before the morning
Like a song that steals the darkness from a world asleep
And I”ll illuminate the path You’ve laid before me
But for now just let me be

Bind up these broken bones
Mercy bend and breathe me back to life
But not before You show me how to die

Let me go like a leaf upon the water
Let me brave the wild currents flowing by the sea
And I will disappear into a deeper beauty
But for now just stay with me
God, for now just stay with me

{Taken from a friend’s facebook page…so awesome}

Creation.  Fall.  Redemption.  Restoration.

Ought.  Is.  Can.  Will.

Design.  Default.  Do.  Destiny.

What wondrous love is this…

When I signed my contract back in June, it said that while my start date was July 19, my first paycheck would not arrive until  August 31.  While I found that annoying, I knew that if I lived very carefully during those six weeks, I woud be okay waiting that long.

That being said, I still worried about money, especially about what would happen if some emergency came up during that time.  I also really want the apartment to start looking a little better, since it’s going to be my home at least until I finish paying back my parents for grad school (unless I get married before that…).  I wasn’t letting myself buy curtains or throw rugs until after payday. 

It wasn’t a huge deal, but it consumed my thoughts more than I wanted it to.

Yesterday I went to school for a couple hours after my new employee orientation.  Waiting in my mailbox was my first paycheck.  I was so surprised my eyes filled with tears.  It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. 

God is so good.

I hesitate to say that about this.  God is so good even if I don’t have a job.  Even if I have nothing to eat.  I know that, and I’m not trying to say that God wants us to have curtains or gym memberships.  He has given me abundantly more than I could ever need.  I acknowledge this, and I am so glad to finally be in a position to care for others financially.  But at the same time, this whole move and new job has been a trying experience for me.  This early check just served as another sign that He is with me.  He sees me, He knows me, and He cares. 

Joey proposed to his longtime girlfriend on Friday night.  Here’s the happy couple.

I am so excited that Ashley is going to be my new sister, and the fifth and final Mock girl! 

Now for the recap of my first week in Lexington.

I moved in on Sunday.  My parents and I drove the U-Haul from Williamsburg and we had everything unloaded by about 3pm.  IT WAS SO HOT THAT DAY (about 100).  My friend Steve helped us out, and Amy drove up from Blacksburg and unpacked my kitchen while I unpacked the bathroom took a shower.  Then she left and Steve took me to a picnic that his church (Grace Presbyterian – I will most likely go there) was having.  That was really nice because I got a chance to meet a lot of people my own age (and probably more Christians my own age than I knew in my two years in Williamsburg) and because I was exhausted and didn’t want to cook 🙂

Monday was my first day of work.  I don’t have much to say about my job so far because I just have so much to learn that I couldn’t have learned in school (ie, all the administrative/paperwork stuff).  RCHS does things so differently from any other school I’ve seen, but I think that the setup will be a good fit for me.  Hopefully I will get computer and phone access soon so that I can actually contribute…

Monday evening I got home and continued to work on unpacking.  That was when I discovered that my bedroom carpet was soaking wet!  The water heater had started to leak.  I called the landlord and he was there within half an hour with fans and towels.  I got a new water heater the next day, which was great (and gave me a good feeling about where I lived).  The only annoying thing about it all was in the process the AC had gotten turned off and so it was 90 degrees in my apartment when I got back on Tuesday.

Wednesday was the most trying day.  I actually had a good day at work and left feeling like I’d learned something and gotten some things accomplished.  Unfortunately, all the happy feelings left when I walked through the front door to discover the power was out.  I called the power company and reported an outtage, then tried to stay cool while still unpacking.  At around 6:30 a guy came buy and checked the power lines.  He left and I still had no power.  I called again and heard a message that there had been no power disturbance at my location.  It was at this point that I started freaking out.

I called George and asked him if he had any idea what the problem could be, but he couldn’t think of any reason why my power would be out but no one else’s, but he’d come over anyway.  By the time he arrived he knew what the problem was.  The power company was supposed to turn off the power in the apartment below mine that afternoon…..but the guy turned off mine instead.  So it was back to the phone. I finally was able to talk to a real person and Gail became my favorite person in the world.  She was such a sweet lady…I picture her being about 57 and more than pleasantly plump but I guess I’ll never know.   It took a while for her to understand the problem, but once she did, she immediately called a technician to come fix it for me.  Unfortunately, that guy didn’t seem to think it was very urgent so it took him 2 hours to get there. 

So that is the tale of my week of trials.  My Dad says that this should serve as confirmation that I am indeed supposed to be in Lexington at this job with these students, and I think he’s right.  I chose this position because I knew that here I would have the opportunities that made me choose this profession in the first place – to be deeply involved in the lives of high school students that they may come to know the God Who lovingly call their names.  I believe I can do that here.  My principal has already given me permission to be an active part of the Young Life ministry at the school….something I didn’t think would happen given my job as counselor. 

Why the title?  Chad is the guy who moved out of Apartment B.  If he hadn’t bought a house and moved out, Wednesday wouldn’t have been so exhausting and torturous for me.  Ha 🙂

OK so I’m not quite that poor.  But ever since I moved into this apartment, the Martina McBride song “This One’s For the Girls” has been stuck in my head.

This is for all you girls about 25
In little apartments, just tryin’ to get by
Livin’ on, on dreams and spaghettios
Wonderin’ where your life is gonna go

So, without further ado, here is my new home!  There is also a bathroom, but I didn’t take a picture because it looks like any tiny bathroom.  And there is another bedroom off the living room but right now all it contains is my desk, a chair, a fan, a yoga mat, weights, and my exercise DVDs.  If anyone has any suggestins for making the place more homey, please share them.  I plan to buy or make curtains after I get a few paychecks.

From Dorothy Sayers:

“[The Christian faith is] the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man.”

“I believe it to be a grave mistake to present Christianity as something charming and popular with no offence in it…We cannot blink the fact that gentle Jesus meek and mild was so stiff in His opinions and so inflammatory in His language that He was thrown out of church, stoned, hunted from place to place, and finally gibbeted as a firebrand and a public danger.  Whatever His peace was, it was not the peace of an amiable indifference.”

Just wanted to update quickly and say that I moved into my new apartment in Lexington on Sunday the 18th.  I started working the following day, and finally finished unpacking boxes Thursday night.  It was an incredibly stressful first week of work.  I have so much to learn, but the bigger stress was at home.  Just about everything that could go wrong with the apartment did.  I will share the details about all of that soon.  It’s funny now, but at the time all I wanted to do was run home to Blacksburg and forget this new career and new place. 

Last Friday, my parents and Dori picked me up and we headed to Maine for a week.  It was nice to just relax and read on the beach.  We also got in a hike, some crazy boating, and more lobster than we wanted. 🙂  I just got back this afternoon so once I unpack all of that stuff and get the apartment clean again I will take some pictures and post them.  I’m beginning my church hunt tomorrow…..I hate this part of moving….

I originally posted this in Kelly’s first SUYL Singles but I’ve updated and I’m trying again 🙂

I feel so strange doing this, but really, why not?  I have been reading Kelly’s Korner for a long time but I’ve never participated in one of her “Show Us Your Life” posts.

While this entire blog will tell you about me, here’s a short bio.  I’m Allison, turning 26 in a week, and I live in Lexington, VA, just two blocks away from Stonewall Jackson’s old house.  I’ve lived here for a year and a half and I work as a school counselor at a local high school.

I am the oldest of five kids, four girls and one lonely boy, and I love spending time with my family.  I grew up in Blacksburg, VA, so I am a huge Virginia Tech sports fan, but Clemson is growing on me because my sister goes there now.  I played volleyball and basketball in high school and in college (intramural).  I also love to sing (my dad is a worship leader), hike, camp….you name it.

Most importantly, I love the Lord and hope to spend my whole life making Him known.  That desire led me to attend a Christian college, Grove City College, in Pennsylvania, so that I could take as many classes about Christianity and the Bible as I could.  I love teaching others about God’s Word.  I became a school counselor for two main reasons – I have a passion for high school students (especially girls) and wanted to be “where they are” and I wanted to be able to have summers off so that I could do ministry.  So far I have gone on mission trips to Mexico, Belize, South Africa, and Taiwan.

What kind of man am I looking for?  Well, I have an incredible father so I tend to be picky, but a heart for God is number one.  I guess there are a lot of qualities that most girls want – smart, funny, athletic, but most importantly, I want someone dependable, trustworthy, and able to accomplish his goals.  An adventurous spirit and a love of travel don’t hurt, either 🙂

Here are some pictures of me.

With my college roommates – I’m on the far right

With all of my siblings (reverse age order…again on the far right)

Sisters (far right…hmmm I should change it up)

This time I’m on the left! I don’t always dress like that – our sorority was performing in Greek Sing