If you’ve been wondering why I’m not around here these days, there are many things involved.

But I thought I’d come on to post one last time and say goodbye.

The blog is coming to a close. Life is busy. And I just feel like it might be the best for now. I’m still around reading many of your posts in my google reader and leaving comments every so often.

For now I need to focus on school and work.

I’ll still be around posting on the work blog. So please stop by and take a look so you can see what is going on with life!

TTFN! Ta-ta for now!

Lately I’ve been under some stress. I’ve never really had to think about money. I’ve always had enough income and very few bills. But now things are changing.

Since I only recently started my business, income is low. Very low. Almost non-existent. I started freaking out. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a paying client and had done a shoot that wasn’t just for my portfolio. So I prayed…God, bring me some work.

And then the phone calls started. Babysitting for several different families, painting my grandparents’ house, and helping organize my uncle’s new house. Okay God, not exactly what I had in mind, but I’ll take it for now.

After a few weeks, the stress still hadn’t gone away. Until yesterday when someone wrote me a check that blew me away. Which brought on that still, small voice in my heart…”See, I was taking care of you the whole time.”

So here I am, feeling ridiculous. Why did I ever doubt that He didn’t have it under control and that He wasn’t taking care of me?

Yes, I’m still praying that he will send some more jobs my way and continue to build my business, but until then, I’ll be practicing some trust.

Last night, I fell asleep to the sound of rain outside my window. It’s simple, but that sound is all I really need to make me feel comforted and set my soul at rest.

After spending 2 months in a cold, dry South African winter, I am glad to have a dose of my Seattle rain.

I always can use some Seattle. Even though I love traveling and I get restless easily in Seattle, I’m realizing that I still need my Seattle fix when I am elsewhere in the world. Rain is just that. It makes me feel at home. I mean, what else is Seattle known for besides coffee, computers, and airplanes? The fact that it “rains all the time.” (Which is not true! It just rains…most of the time).

I need my rain.

I am being reminded ever so gently, to be happy that I am in Seattle for now. I need to appreciate my time here, because who knows where I could be in the next few years.

I will go wherever God calls me. I just hope they have some good rain there.

Last night was my first UD service. It was amazing! The message was perfect for what God had been speaking to my heart and for the start of this next season. It was all about this being part of the local church and what God is doing in our area (and the rest of the world).

But probably the best part of the service was after the message. The band played the Jesus Culture song “You Won’t Relent” over and over for quite some time.

You won’t relent until you have it all. My heart is yours.

I sang that line over and over again until it became my heart’s cry.

And I realized that I can’t even begin to comprehend how much God loves me. How much He wants me. So much that He would never stop chasing me. So much that He won’t relent, He won’t give up, not until I give Him my all.

I’ve known that. I’ve always known that. But last night my heart finally caught it.

So here I am. Caught up in the overwhelming love a relentless God. And I give up. I’m done running.

God, my heart is yours.

So there are lots of new things happening in my life these days. And right now I am on the edge of entering a brand new season of life. I’m slightly nervous, but mostly excited. I’m entering a new season that I like to call…college! And even though I don’t move in and start classes at SPU until the end of the month I consider tomorrow as the starting point for this new season. As of tomorrow I will be part of GCUD. For those of you who don’t understand, let me explain. GC is my youth group and there 5 locations. For the past 7 yearsI have been attending, serving, and leading at GC in Kirkland. And now it is time to move. Tomorrow night will be my first service at the UD (University District).

And it means more than just a geographical change. I’ll be going from a place where I know many people and most of the leaders know who I am, to a place where I know only a handful of people. Not to mention that because of spending 2 months in South Africa and this new transition, I stepped out of my role as a small group leader back in June and left the media team when I returned from South Africa. So for the first time in maybe 4 years, I am not serving or leading in my church at all. When I go to services I’ll just be…receiving…and that is a new concept to me. I haven’t had much practice with receiving. But I think that in this time of school and work, I might need it.

I am excited to say that God has given me a vision for this next season. For the past 6 months or so my heart has been transitioning from working with high school students to university students and the interns at my church (of which I was one last year). Not to mention that it has been spoken over my life a lot recently that I am going to have a lot of influence on my campus and with college students not just at my school but across Seattle. Needless to say, I am excited for this.

With the start of an exciting new season comes a time to celebrate. Celebrate the last season and celebrate what is coming next. So how I prepared and celebrated for this next season…I cut my hair short again and dyed it bright red (and I mean bright!). Yes, that is how I celebrate.

So, anyone else entering a new season of life? How do you celebrate it?