PTL

Friday night I got to drive to Bethany, Oklahoma to visit my brother... to just relax and enjoy the peaceful neighborhood where he was staying. He lives about 35 minutes from me, so you'd think I could go see him often... I hadn't seen him in about a month though - life is hectic, and people are busy!

Saturday my parents and sister came to the area for Luke's football game, but came a few hours early to see me so we could catch up and hang out - i needed to feel the presence of stability. My cup was completely overfilled with abundant joy from getting to be in their presence. I've missed them so much - I had no idea how dependent I was on my family...

For the past couple weeks, since the semester has started, a few of my friends and I have been randomly busting out in song about all the things we love - Shelby and I publically display it on facebook to each other, while Sarah and I yell it while we walk down the south oval - and Mady and I pretty much just love to live a lifestyle of constantly loving the most silly things. (I'm pretty sure I've gotten weirder since I've moved to college!)

I love the birds, and the songs they sing. I love the beautiful weather. I love the rain. I love the grass on the south oval. I love walking through hundreds of people while I'm walking from building to building. I love walking! I love the caf. I love the songs I'm learning at U-Sing. I love to sing. I love to celebrate birthdays. I love to celebrate half-birthdays. I love to celebrate! I love to drink water. I love to lay in the grass. I love to watch the squirrels. I love to call people squirrels. I love to read the side walk chalk on the walk ways all over campus. I love to imagine writing my own announcements on the sidewalks. I love to meet new friends on the elevator. everytime i'm on an elevator. I love to learn peoples names. I love to go to Theta. I love to paint. I love paintings. I love to lay on boats. I love to dance. I love naming EVERYTHING Rex. I love uggs. I love OCTOBER. I love blessing people. I love fingernail polish. I love to laugh. I love to cry. I love to play in the rain. I love to yell. I love to whisper. I love the trees. I love spanish. I love accents.

In such a busy lifestyle, from going to class to dinner to theta to practice to chapter to new member meetings to dates to studying, I love to remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for... all the things I love.

The other day I was sitting at starbucks with two of my best friends, Amanda and Mady, and we were talking about certain things in our lives... things that made us sad... pretty much just sharing feelings - and when I looked down at my starbucks cup the initials "PTL" were written on it.

In starbucks language "PTL" means "Passion Tea Lemonade" but in my language it means "Praise the Lord"... it was a pleasant reminder that the Lord is sovereign, and he works out all things for the good of those who love him. We all got a laugh out of the irony, and reminded each other to praise the Lord about something, anything, during hard times.

So - whatever day it is that you are reading this - here is a challenge from me to you: Talk about the things you love. Speak them out loud. Write them down. Hang them somewhere that you can see them and be reminded of them. Dance. Make pasta. Drink lemonade. Go for a walk. Show up somewhere alone. Buy a $4 coffee. Celebrate yourself. Watch the birds. Marvel at how many flies are gathered around one meal. Race. Be in community with someone else. Ask soemone else what they love. Speak life over someone. Declare liberty over your days - you were created to live abundantly. Isn't that cool? You were created to be in CONSTANT joy - celebrating and engaging with people - laughing about the beauty of the world... the butterflies and the leaves falling from the trees... the sound the wind makes and the crunch of an aged leaf.

Not even the next moment is promised to you, its a world of unknown futures and chaotic weeks - days that turn into seconds... you find yourself wondering where the time has gone. Tests, and papers and traveling and practices and positions to fill and music to write... maybe you're waiting to be discovered. Or maybe you are trapped in a violent relationship. Maybe you've lost your best friends. Or your kid moved away. Maybe you long for something real, a love that lasts... maybe you wonder if "love" could ever really last... maybe you long for a role model that has a positive influence. maybe you're sick of taking care of your family at age 17... Maybe you long to be a kid again.

Marvel.

We live in such a beautiful world. Love something.