No. No clever titles this time. No catchy "hook" to make you read more. It's just straight up what it sounds like. A Prayer Couch.
This week, volunteers from our Navs group, me included, sat on couches in the plaza outside the student center and prayed for people. Sometimes it was for individuals that approached us, other times it was just for CSU as a whole. We prayed for peace and blessing on the CSU community. We prayed for a program going on tonight, "Homosexuality and Spirituality". We just prayed for people. It was awesome!
It really pulled my outside my normal comfort zone into the world where I'm leaning heavily on God's peace. I saw some of my sorority sisters while I was there, so now they identify me with prayer. Hopefully, they'll approach me about it and I can minister to them. I saw a guy that hangs out in our hall a lot and he talked to me about it in class afterwards. We talked about how he used to lead worship at his church back home and now that he's at college he hasn't found a church to go to yet. I had no idea! I invited him to go with me this Sunday. God used me today in other people's lives and he used today in my life. I feel like this is the most I've ever grown spiritually in one day.
Praise the LORD!!! I am NOT the same person I was a year ago, at the beginning of the semester, or even a month ago, and I'm so happy about that.
What are some areas that bring you out of you Christian bubble? What kinds of things bring you away from your comfort zone?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
"Are You CRYING?!?"
In one of my favorite movies, A League Of Their Own, there's a line from the head coach to one of his female baseball players: "Are you CRYING?! There's no crying in baseball!!" Well, there may not be any crying in baseball, but on more than one occasion I have cried at football.Yes, it's true. That's how much football means to Abby Grosenbach. She can, will, and has cried over football.
Most recently I cried over Super Bowl 44.
The New Orleans Saints won, completing one of the best "Happily Ever After" stories in football. The team and the city were struck by hurricane Katrina in 2005. A big part of the city was demolished, the citizens left homeless, and the Saints sacrificed a season to help rebuild the city they called home.
Despite the devastation of the hurricane, the Saints convinced quarterback Drew Brees to join them for the 2006 season. Brees had had a good run with the San Diego Chargers his first year out of college, but had been a sort of back-burner, second-string player for the last few years. In the last game of the 2005 season, he tore his rotator cuff on his right shoulder, his throwing shoulder, jeopardizing his chances of being accepted to another team. The offer from the Saints really was a god-send for Drew Brees.
But that was 4 years ago. The story that started with a hurricane, flooding, poverty and sorrow for a city, despair for a team, and discouragement for a quarterback ended with celebration and dancing in the streets, the first Vince Lombardi Trophy for a team, and the recognition of Most Valuable Player for that quarterback.
All that was in my mind when I saw Drew Brees kiss his 1-year-old son after winning the Super Bowl with a tear down his face. I lost it. The mayor of New Orleans said a few words about how much winning meant to the city. I lost it. Head coach Sean Payton hugged Drew Brees as he presented Brees the trophy. I lost it. Seeing a side-by-side shot of Brees holding the trophy high in the air and the celebration in New Orleans. I lost it then too.
There may not be crying in baseball but there are tears of joy in football...at least for an 18-year-old college freshman.
Most recently I cried over Super Bowl 44.
The New Orleans Saints won, completing one of the best "Happily Ever After" stories in football. The team and the city were struck by hurricane Katrina in 2005. A big part of the city was demolished, the citizens left homeless, and the Saints sacrificed a season to help rebuild the city they called home.
Despite the devastation of the hurricane, the Saints convinced quarterback Drew Brees to join them for the 2006 season. Brees had had a good run with the San Diego Chargers his first year out of college, but had been a sort of back-burner, second-string player for the last few years. In the last game of the 2005 season, he tore his rotator cuff on his right shoulder, his throwing shoulder, jeopardizing his chances of being accepted to another team. The offer from the Saints really was a god-send for Drew Brees.
But that was 4 years ago. The story that started with a hurricane, flooding, poverty and sorrow for a city, despair for a team, and discouragement for a quarterback ended with celebration and dancing in the streets, the first Vince Lombardi Trophy for a team, and the recognition of Most Valuable Player for that quarterback.
All that was in my mind when I saw Drew Brees kiss his 1-year-old son after winning the Super Bowl with a tear down his face. I lost it. The mayor of New Orleans said a few words about how much winning meant to the city. I lost it. Head coach Sean Payton hugged Drew Brees as he presented Brees the trophy. I lost it. Seeing a side-by-side shot of Brees holding the trophy high in the air and the celebration in New Orleans. I lost it then too.
There may not be crying in baseball but there are tears of joy in football...at least for an 18-year-old college freshman.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Temporary Home
Well goodness, I haven't been very good at relaying what happens here have I? Well to tell the truth, the novelty kinda wore off after the first few weeks, so nothing has really seemed that exciting. I guess that means I'm adjusting well and nothing is taking me by surprise anymore, but I miss the newness of it all.
I guess the only thing that has changed significantly is the way I view home. Before I moved to college, I'd lived in the same house my whole life. I'd never really known what is was like to leave my family. I thought that I would have a terrible time not always having someone around. I always knew where home was--or at least I thought I did.
It turns out that I've grown closer to God and the relationships that I do have are a lot more meaningful now. I've experienced the fact that God IS with me, even when nobody else is. The friends I've made are so fantastic! I no longer just have a whole bunch of friends and family around to keep me company all the time. The friends I have are in my lfe because we've both worked to see each other and spend time with each other. I don't really have any of those "class friends"--you know, those firends you have just because you're at the same table in class. I do have firends in class, don't get me wrong, but I see them outside of class, too.
Home. For my whole life I've thought home was a blue house with a maple tree in the front yard in the middle of Colorado Springs. But now, when I say "Ok, I've really got to be heading home now." I mean my little 6'x10' dorm room. I don't consider it home, but it's just too complicated to call it anything else.
It kinda reminds me of how we're supposed to think of our life here on earth compared to our life in heaven. We should think of heaven as our home and as our earthly existance as a temporary home.
I guess the only thing that has changed significantly is the way I view home. Before I moved to college, I'd lived in the same house my whole life. I'd never really known what is was like to leave my family. I thought that I would have a terrible time not always having someone around. I always knew where home was--or at least I thought I did.
It turns out that I've grown closer to God and the relationships that I do have are a lot more meaningful now. I've experienced the fact that God IS with me, even when nobody else is. The friends I've made are so fantastic! I no longer just have a whole bunch of friends and family around to keep me company all the time. The friends I have are in my lfe because we've both worked to see each other and spend time with each other. I don't really have any of those "class friends"--you know, those firends you have just because you're at the same table in class. I do have firends in class, don't get me wrong, but I see them outside of class, too.
Home. For my whole life I've thought home was a blue house with a maple tree in the front yard in the middle of Colorado Springs. But now, when I say "Ok, I've really got to be heading home now." I mean my little 6'x10' dorm room. I don't consider it home, but it's just too complicated to call it anything else.
It kinda reminds me of how we're supposed to think of our life here on earth compared to our life in heaven. We should think of heaven as our home and as our earthly existance as a temporary home.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Word Vomit
My sophomore year in high school, my English teacher's name was Mrs. Rewey. We wrote a lot in that class. She used an illustration that you can't quite ignore. "When you start," she would say, "it's going to be like word vomit, everything just spewing out of you in slimy chunks that don't really belong together." She would go on to explain that eventually you can craft that word vomit into a coherent, logical essay. Well you know what....I'm just gonna vomit tonight. No crafting, just the slimy chunks.
It snowed this weekend. Very cool and not cool at the same time. It forced those in power to cancel the choir performance and the Homecoming Game, therefore I didn't go. LAME! I was kinda ticked, but it was cold and we lost anyway.
I finally brought myself to talk to Jill today. Well, not ACTUALLY verbally talk to her, but write her a note that really came from my heart. It's just a little over 9 months since she passed away. I still gets to me to think of what she could have done with her life, what an impact she could have made and the world missed out on the beautiful person she was. But then I stop and think about it--she did a lot in her life! She touched the hearts of everyone that knew her in a mere 18 years. She DID have an impact on the world: she proved that humanity is not lost, that there is still hope alive and well, and courage and love can live on past death. The world may have missed out on her, but she sure didn't miss out on the world. She made every moment count.
I can't do it. Not on my own. I've been striving for independence for so long and now I realize that having people around you that you can count on is the best thing in the world.
People say that "you're your own worst critic". I beg to differ. Little sisters are the worst critics ever...at least for me. She gets me on everything: "You are wearing SOO much make-up" "Could you just stop being in the way, please." "You walk in my way all the time. Just go walk over there." But you know what....I'm better because of it. She's so picky and she just hammers out all the kinks. She's like a Life Editor. She'll look at what I did, bleed red pen all over it, hurt my feelings a little, but turns what I did into what she knew I could do.
God, too, is like a Life Editor-in-Chief. He takes all of our "word vomit", bleeds Christ's blood-red pen all over it, and turns our life from what we could do into what he will do.
It snowed this weekend. Very cool and not cool at the same time. It forced those in power to cancel the choir performance and the Homecoming Game, therefore I didn't go. LAME! I was kinda ticked, but it was cold and we lost anyway.
I finally brought myself to talk to Jill today. Well, not ACTUALLY verbally talk to her, but write her a note that really came from my heart. It's just a little over 9 months since she passed away. I still gets to me to think of what she could have done with her life, what an impact she could have made and the world missed out on the beautiful person she was. But then I stop and think about it--she did a lot in her life! She touched the hearts of everyone that knew her in a mere 18 years. She DID have an impact on the world: she proved that humanity is not lost, that there is still hope alive and well, and courage and love can live on past death. The world may have missed out on her, but she sure didn't miss out on the world. She made every moment count.
I can't do it. Not on my own. I've been striving for independence for so long and now I realize that having people around you that you can count on is the best thing in the world.
People say that "you're your own worst critic". I beg to differ. Little sisters are the worst critics ever...at least for me. She gets me on everything: "You are wearing SOO much make-up" "Could you just stop being in the way, please." "You walk in my way all the time. Just go walk over there." But you know what....I'm better because of it. She's so picky and she just hammers out all the kinks. She's like a Life Editor. She'll look at what I did, bleed red pen all over it, hurt my feelings a little, but turns what I did into what she knew I could do.
God, too, is like a Life Editor-in-Chief. He takes all of our "word vomit", bleeds Christ's blood-red pen all over it, and turns our life from what we could do into what he will do.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Excuses, excuses
It's been awhile since I've made a new post. But I just get really busy and tired a lot of the time. School is stressful, I'm looking for a job, I have a choir concert to prepare for, etc. The list could go on forever. Truth be told, the blog is just NOT a priority in my life because I don't make time for it. I want it to be, but I can want a lot of things. There's a big difference between what you want and what you're willing to work for.
We use those same excuses with God, don't we? Take that sentence that starts "Truth be told..." and substitute "God" for "the blog". Scary, huh? "I can't do my Bible Study right now, God, I have to study." "I can't pray right now, Jesus, there are too many other things on my mind." How stupid can we get? What other book is the divine word of God and deserves more attention? Not any of my text books, that's for sure. (Truth be told, they might be the not-so-divinely inspired money-orientated pieces of paper with words on them) When we have things that are troubling us, what better to do than pray? I dunno. I know when I'm stressed, praying isn't my first reaction. Eating or being with people is.
Not a whole lot has happened since I last wrote. School is school. KD is kinda like a retreat that I can go to anytime I want. I've already shared my faith with a couple of my sisters. They saw me doing my Bible Study while I was waiting on a friend and they asked what I was doing, so I told them. Navs is fantastic! I wouldn't want to have a better pair of things to be involved in. Other than math, life is good.
We use those same excuses with God, don't we? Take that sentence that starts "Truth be told..." and substitute "God" for "the blog". Scary, huh? "I can't do my Bible Study right now, God, I have to study." "I can't pray right now, Jesus, there are too many other things on my mind." How stupid can we get? What other book is the divine word of God and deserves more attention? Not any of my text books, that's for sure. (Truth be told, they might be the not-so-divinely inspired money-orientated pieces of paper with words on them) When we have things that are troubling us, what better to do than pray? I dunno. I know when I'm stressed, praying isn't my first reaction. Eating or being with people is.
Not a whole lot has happened since I last wrote. School is school. KD is kinda like a retreat that I can go to anytime I want. I've already shared my faith with a couple of my sisters. They saw me doing my Bible Study while I was waiting on a friend and they asked what I was doing, so I told them. Navs is fantastic! I wouldn't want to have a better pair of things to be involved in. Other than math, life is good.
Friday, September 18, 2009
"Sisters, sisters..."
Remember that great ol' song from White Christmas? "Sisters. sisters. there were never such devoted sisters." Talk about a theme song! The last few days have been wrapped up in the process of becoming a "Sister". Yeah, like in a sorority.
Before anything gets started, I just want to dispel any rumors you might have heard about sorority girls. Every sorority has a GPA requirement, a "man schedule", a strict "no hazing" policy, and do not allow any sort of alcohol anywhere on the premises of a sorority house.
But anyway, Monday I started "rushing". It's just a fancy name for recruitment. I think they call it "rush" because that's what you do: you rush around trying to prove to the sorority that you are worth getting to know. Most girls started rushing on Saturday. Not me. I chose Navs over sororities this time. I started Monday, like I said, two days after everyone else. A normal schedule would have had two days of getting to know people, house tours, etc followed by one night focused on the philanthropy of that chapter, and then a final night called Preference night. Oh, no, not for Abby. I always end up doing thing the hard way. I packed the house tours, meeting people, and philanthropy all into one night. And not just for one chapter; all seven. Yes, I went to all seven sororities in about an hour-and-a-half. Don't talk to me about "rush"!
My thought process contained the following thoughts: What's the worst that could happen? I came in without a sorority and I can come out without a sorority, not a big deal. They only met me for what? Ten maybe fifteen minutes? I don't know a lot about them and they don't know a lot about me, so if no one calls me back for Pref. night, I understand.
I got called back....by my my top choice: Kappa Delta. I was so happy! Pref. night is the most formal of all the nights, so of course I got dressed up. It was really fun! I felt like I was getting ready for the Homecoming Dance again.
Pref. night consisted of fondue and more talking and laughter. Between the two sessions, there was probably about seventy ladies coming into Kappa Delta, or KD for short. Obviously, they couldn't accept all seventy of us, so it was my second and last shot at showing them who I really am. After we were done there, we went back to the student center and signed a card that basically said that if that sorority (possibly two, if you were lucky) gave you a bid, you'd take it. For some girls it was a really tough decision. I was happy that I had prayed up and I knew that Kappa Delta is where God had set before me, so I was in and out of there so fast you could hardly even spell "Kappa Delta"
Then there was bid night. The night where you see if what you had work so hard for payed off. I noticed that some girls that had been in my group weren't there. I couldn't help feeling bad for them. Obviously they had wanted it and they'd been in the process longer that I had. I wondered if I had stolen one of their spots. For me, I had only one choice, and obviously I had been called back, so I knew where I was headed, but for the other girls who had put down two choices, they had no idea and some of them were really nervous about it. I paralleled it to knowing Christ. I only signed up for Jesus; THE way, THE truth, and THE life. I know where I'm headed when I'm done here on earth. What about those other girls who have signed up for a multitude of meaninglessness? They have no certainty. I think that's why God turned me Greek.
The big moment arrived. Our liaisons, technically called Rho Gammas, handed each of us a small white envelope with our names neatly and plainly printed on the front. Each envelope contained one invitation to one sorority. 5.....4.......3......2......1......GO! I pealed open my envelope quickly, but carefully not wanting to rip the invitation inside. It read: You are cordially invited to become a member of the Phi Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority. September 16, 2009.
I was a KD!! I was so excited to join my new sisters and a new community. I'm honestly really proud of myself for not crying. You see, one of my closest friends from high school is a KD. I found her and we held each other for at least a minute, knowing that finally we have a secure connection to each other that nobody can break, that this new "family" had been mutually agreed upon by both parties. Somehow it's more special when you choose it.
The rest of the night was filled with laughter and hugs all the way around. I'm very happy with my decision to "Go Greek". I feel like I'm part of a group of people that not only did God choose way ahead of time, not only did I choose, but that they chose me, too. Now I have one-hundred-nine other "such devoted sisters"
Before anything gets started, I just want to dispel any rumors you might have heard about sorority girls. Every sorority has a GPA requirement, a "man schedule", a strict "no hazing" policy, and do not allow any sort of alcohol anywhere on the premises of a sorority house.
But anyway, Monday I started "rushing". It's just a fancy name for recruitment. I think they call it "rush" because that's what you do: you rush around trying to prove to the sorority that you are worth getting to know. Most girls started rushing on Saturday. Not me. I chose Navs over sororities this time. I started Monday, like I said, two days after everyone else. A normal schedule would have had two days of getting to know people, house tours, etc followed by one night focused on the philanthropy of that chapter, and then a final night called Preference night. Oh, no, not for Abby. I always end up doing thing the hard way. I packed the house tours, meeting people, and philanthropy all into one night. And not just for one chapter; all seven. Yes, I went to all seven sororities in about an hour-and-a-half. Don't talk to me about "rush"!
My thought process contained the following thoughts: What's the worst that could happen? I came in without a sorority and I can come out without a sorority, not a big deal. They only met me for what? Ten maybe fifteen minutes? I don't know a lot about them and they don't know a lot about me, so if no one calls me back for Pref. night, I understand.
I got called back....by my my top choice: Kappa Delta. I was so happy! Pref. night is the most formal of all the nights, so of course I got dressed up. It was really fun! I felt like I was getting ready for the Homecoming Dance again.
Pref. night consisted of fondue and more talking and laughter. Between the two sessions, there was probably about seventy ladies coming into Kappa Delta, or KD for short. Obviously, they couldn't accept all seventy of us, so it was my second and last shot at showing them who I really am. After we were done there, we went back to the student center and signed a card that basically said that if that sorority (possibly two, if you were lucky) gave you a bid, you'd take it. For some girls it was a really tough decision. I was happy that I had prayed up and I knew that Kappa Delta is where God had set before me, so I was in and out of there so fast you could hardly even spell "Kappa Delta"
Then there was bid night. The night where you see if what you had work so hard for payed off. I noticed that some girls that had been in my group weren't there. I couldn't help feeling bad for them. Obviously they had wanted it and they'd been in the process longer that I had. I wondered if I had stolen one of their spots. For me, I had only one choice, and obviously I had been called back, so I knew where I was headed, but for the other girls who had put down two choices, they had no idea and some of them were really nervous about it. I paralleled it to knowing Christ. I only signed up for Jesus; THE way, THE truth, and THE life. I know where I'm headed when I'm done here on earth. What about those other girls who have signed up for a multitude of meaninglessness? They have no certainty. I think that's why God turned me Greek.
The big moment arrived. Our liaisons, technically called Rho Gammas, handed each of us a small white envelope with our names neatly and plainly printed on the front. Each envelope contained one invitation to one sorority. 5.....4.......3......2......1......GO! I pealed open my envelope quickly, but carefully not wanting to rip the invitation inside. It read: You are cordially invited to become a member of the Phi Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority. September 16, 2009.
I was a KD!! I was so excited to join my new sisters and a new community. I'm honestly really proud of myself for not crying. You see, one of my closest friends from high school is a KD. I found her and we held each other for at least a minute, knowing that finally we have a secure connection to each other that nobody can break, that this new "family" had been mutually agreed upon by both parties. Somehow it's more special when you choose it.
The rest of the night was filled with laughter and hugs all the way around. I'm very happy with my decision to "Go Greek". I feel like I'm part of a group of people that not only did God choose way ahead of time, not only did I choose, but that they chose me, too. Now I have one-hundred-nine other "such devoted sisters"
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thinking About Today
Today marks the 8th anniversary of the September 1th Attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon. It's a day to remember and to just think back on what happened then, where we are now, and what we are becoming as a nation, as communities, as families, and as individuals.
On September 11, 2001 I had just started 5th grade. I was young and didn't fully understand what had happened. I remember knowing that my country- the strongest country in the world- had been attacked by terrorists and it scared me. My school had everyone gather around the flag pole outside so that the Principal could give us the news in the best little kid version she could. They let us have a moment to just think about it and that was the first time I remember praying at school. Someone asked me what I was doing and I just told them that I was praying. They just kinda looked at me funny and that was that.
Today, I'm a freshman in college. I'm starting my adulthood. I'm in a new place with new people, and I like it. I was walking between my class and my dorm this morning and I saw a little patch of grass covered in little American flags. It touched me. I began thinking about how many people younger than me actually remember what happened. Are there those younger than me that remember it? Or is my age group the youngest rememberers?
In the future, I hope I never forget to tell my kids what happened. To tell them that even the highest security has its flaws. The only way to be completely safe from any harm is to trust God. At that point, harm-maybe even MORE harm-WILL come to you, but you'll have the assurance that he allowed it to happen and that if you just hang on, everything will be okay.
On September 11, 2001 I had just started 5th grade. I was young and didn't fully understand what had happened. I remember knowing that my country- the strongest country in the world- had been attacked by terrorists and it scared me. My school had everyone gather around the flag pole outside so that the Principal could give us the news in the best little kid version she could. They let us have a moment to just think about it and that was the first time I remember praying at school. Someone asked me what I was doing and I just told them that I was praying. They just kinda looked at me funny and that was that.
Today, I'm a freshman in college. I'm starting my adulthood. I'm in a new place with new people, and I like it. I was walking between my class and my dorm this morning and I saw a little patch of grass covered in little American flags. It touched me. I began thinking about how many people younger than me actually remember what happened. Are there those younger than me that remember it? Or is my age group the youngest rememberers?
In the future, I hope I never forget to tell my kids what happened. To tell them that even the highest security has its flaws. The only way to be completely safe from any harm is to trust God. At that point, harm-maybe even MORE harm-WILL come to you, but you'll have the assurance that he allowed it to happen and that if you just hang on, everything will be okay.
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