MillerTime

See www.themillersadventures.blogspot.com...

Christmas photos & hiking photos

Proverbs 8:22-31

The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,

the first of his acts of long ago.

Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

When there were no depths I was brought forth,

when there was no springs abounding with water.

Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills,

I was brought forth-

when he had not yet made earth and fields,

or the world's first bits of soil.

When he established the heavens, I was there,

when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,

when he assigned to the sea its limit,

so that the waters might not transgress his command,

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

then I was beside him, like a master worker;

and I was daily his delight,

rejoicing before him always,

rejoicing in his inhabited world

and delighting in the human race.

Following the Star Home for the Holidays...

I am so thrilled to be here in East Tennessee for Christmas, in the house I grew up in and with the memories flooding our time together! My journey to the South was long and "hurry up and wait" was the theme...(I will upload some photos as soon as I figure out how to take pics off my phone.) I stayed in the Seattle airport overnight because the weather was so crazy. John Kopp drove me to the airport and on the way there cars were turned backwards and in ditches along I-5. So I wasn't about to potentially miss an open spot. (I felt like the mom on Home Alone...tempted enough to ride in the back of a U-Haul home)

I met a group of fellow travelers amongst the masses who were forced to sit still and wait on the weather to calm. I was so entertained by our airport "Breakfast Club" :) The stories told were everything from sailing to the Galapagos to having Lucky Jeans, Elle Magizine, and Southern Living feature a collection of cowboy boots from Bill's store in Texas. The stories of travel were fairly similar but it was the level of positivity and stresslessness that made our group fun!

We took up a few tables in the Starbucks, watched each others things and checked on the status of each others flights. We had a checker tournament with Spenda and Equal packets on the tiles of a table. Bill collected water bottles for the group and found us cardboard to sleep on. We laughed so hard about setting up a cardboard city and selling it to folks that were forced to stay in more nights :) We were entertained by the girl that pulled out her fiddle to play for those waiting in line all night.

I felt like I was living the Census in Bethlehem. There was no room on the planes and no room in the inn's. I was so amazed how strangely silent it was at 2am, when I got back in line, and at 5'2 & 1/2 I was towering over a pile of sleeping soldiers. I thought where soldiers lie sleeping, there is "Peace on Earth and good will towards men."

I was so tired but I was so intrigued by what the Lord was showing me. I stood wondering what would happen. The front desk the day before told me "No flights for five days" I wouldn't get home til after Christmas! But I felt like I had won the lotto! I made it through with a five hour delay! I WON!!! I got through security and I couldn't stop crying...after a nap at the gate. I woke up still so overwhelmed that I had the "golden ticket". Tears started flowing again and I giggled to myself, but as I looked up I saw these miming elves making there way through the exhausted crowd, trying to cheer folks up...or weird them out...I don't know! Then as I moved out of their entertainment path, to stand in line to get on the plane, Santa came down the main hall, singing Jingle Bells. I looked at him in surprise and wondered if I was dreaming. He was the ugliest Santa I had ever seen...with a weirdly pasted on beard. He hugged me from the side, still singing, and me with tears still flowing down my face from exhaustion, and he urged me to sing with him. I sniffled and said..."Dashing through the snow...." and he moved on. I could not believe that this had just happened.
I got on the plane still tearing up...tucked myself in a blanket and fell asleep...

The gift of an old dear friend

Yesterday, was a hard day, good but hard, I met with 5 leaders for coffee or breakfast, to help plan a Campaigners Bible Study, talk about where to lead in the area, debrief the All City Club and just catch up. I spoke with 3 donors about giving to NW Seattle and including them in what is happening here. I made a contact with a parent at Lakeside and through her I know of many more advicates in Lakeside. I moved through the day pretty gracefully with a lot of energy building. I have so much to be thankful for but with one phone conversation I spoke sourly with a leader through frustration about the pace that Lakeside is moving. Despite the forward motion, I was cornered to believe it was nothing without club. My insecurities overwhelmed me and I believed it. I wrestled most of the night, thinking and wondering how to move this along faster and encourage leaders to find joy in the waiting and have great victory in the small step, because these steps are more than what's been there before.
As I woke up this morning, I was delighted to go spend some time with a leader, Ashley Holder, and get to know her a little more. This leader is so inspiring to me and her heart for kids is enormous! The strength and hope I recieved from her in this little time was beautiful. I left coffee with her and realized I had been wearing the same thing for a few days now and had not showered (if you know me, you know that when I get too excited about people and when they fill my day I forget to shower and often sleep in my clothes on the couch). I laughed and thought its spa time...which is a ten minute shower and blow drying my hair. :) I was going to be fresh and clean today even if I didn't feel so inside. :)
My friend and fellow intern, met me to spend some time thinking outloud and reading together at coffee shop. I thought I would love to go to the Greenlake Zoka's, because even though Becca and RT are not in town (California & Chile) I want to sit with their arm chairs. (They were always there last spring-just sitting and reading) I just really longed for someone who knows me in & out of ministry and still likes me :) I needed a hug and a conversation that did not involve Young Life. So sitting at Zoka's was as close as I could get to being with RT and Becca.
As I followed Hannah in the door, she stopped to look around for an open table or chair. Her glance was quicker than mine so she turned to walk back out. As I backed out slowly, I took a look for myself and as I glanced I noticed a familiar face, but I knew it could not be him in front of me now...I must be tired and this can't be him. I continued to move backwards out the door but couldn't stop staring at him. He looked up and with mouth opend in surprise, stood and walk towards me smiling. I kept saying to myself he's not real, he's not real, even as he hugged me. Midway through the hug I realized I was not dreaming and he, in fact, was real! So I hugged him and through tears looked to see if he was real, making this the longest hug I have had in a long time. And we stood there in the door way the whole hug, with folks walking in and out around us, and folks seated smiling and laughing at this moment. I couldn't say much other than, I can't believe it, Danville! and cry some more and laugh and then hug him again! :) I was so excited, shocked, emotional, and encouraged by even just his presence. I wanted to be encouraged and wanted to feel loved! This was way better than sitting with RT and Becca's arm chairs. I couldn't believe it, oh and I cried out of pure joy through my study morning, that I had seen Danville, the guy who always makes me cry and laugh so hard. :) Danville has been gone a year living in Africia and I have had to distract myself from how much I missed him so much this whole year. I'm just so glad that he recongized me because I would have just backed out of Zoka's and thought I was going crazy.
I told Hannah afterwards that I have been feeling like Jesus is romancing me more than ever and I have great anticipation and I feel like something so good is coming! Her response was you are living in Advent! I thought that was pretty cool!
Thanks Danville for letting me cry on your shirt and thank you just for being you! What a beautiful gift to have today! :) I have been thinking recently how much I miss being bear hugged by Andrew, RT, EJ, Ponch, and Danville! I love Danville hugs! :)

Hard steps? Yes Please!

My steps, I often want them to be so valuable, so significant. I want each step to count, as each counts in climbing a mountain. I learned this summer paddling at Beyond, that each stroke will not always take you forward. The wind, the current and the tide most often determine your pace. In the mountains, the elements can slow you down too but your feet are planted on solid ground and if you stop you are not losing ground. On the water, if you stop paddling, you are still moving whether forward or backwards (seemingly most often backwards), which makes for some real awkward and frustrating lunch stops or water breaks.
My dad has always said, "One step at a time!" and I, in turn, always remember that when something is hard. :) And thanks to Becca and Tessa, I am learning to identify whats hard..."This is hard!" :) I have been known, a bit, for enjoying hard things and the reason why I love carrying a 80 lbs pack and still taking more weight or that I love the story where I lead 7 guys to Aslan's Howl in 1 hour & 15minutes on a recon (& I wanted so bad to help carry that girl down the mountain...short kid), is not to prove anything, but as a reminder that hard steps are worth taking!
I took my first real hard steps last night on the campus of Lakeside. I went to a co-ed wrestling match, you know those sports where no one goes to watch but parents, yep this was it. Before I got there, I imagined stands filled with kids cheering and me wondering around with a small bag of popcorn trying to ask kids what the rules where, or how the score was kept. But instead, Sarah (Young Life Leader) and I sat, singled out with the trash can, on the floor, eye level with their shoulder blades. My eyes scanned the bench searching to find a new friend of Kayln's (Young Life Leader) but was surprised to find several girls on the team. Wow, talk about a hard step! I was so impressed to see the guys on the team taking these girls under their wing, teaching them quick stances to help them beat the other team. I was blown away by these tough girls, so much that this hard step of speaking to them afterwards, became so genuinely simple.
"Way to go!" started conversation which lead to an invitation to All City Club on Monday. I invited 6 kids just out of pure enthusiasm for wanting to get to know these kids. I felt like I was on the moon taking a small step for Young Life but a huge step for Lakeside or that I was passing the end of the Shier. My heart was like a crowd of people cheering, my face had to have looked like I had just won a huge victory! And today, I know that this is why I love the hard steps! Jesus by your side, really, truly, you can take on any hard step!
Keep Lakeside in your prayers! Thanks for reading!