A Completely New Journey

August 18th 2011, I started over, completely new. It was move in day at Moody Bible Institute. SO many people were talking to me, asking questions. There was nervous faces everywhere and parents shuffling around with wide eyes as the helped their babies settle in. And there I was, right in the middle of all of, doing the exact same thing. 


My first semester at Moody is now over and wow, it sure was incredible. I never thought I could learn so much in a few months but boy was I wrong. I LOVED every single minute of being at school. The people-incredible. The environment-incredible. The community-incredible. The things you learn-incredible. The God-indescribable. 


Allow me to show you some of my life: 

I was in a thing called FYT and essentially you are put in a group of 20-ish students and the 20 of you have the exact same schedule for the first semester. It was truly a blessing. You instantly make connections because you are with these same people constantly. This is my cohort. I love each of them so very much. We got to know each other pretty well this semester and I am sad we won't all be together again next semester. BUT I am so blessed to have been with the for this semester. 

Left to Right: Pippin, Me, Kalena. These two girls were my accountability partners for a class. We were assigned to have them for class, but we took it a little more seriously. As we began to meet, we learned "hey, we like each other and want to truly keep each other accountable as friends." I am SO SO thankful for these two in my life. They are not scared to ask the hard questions. They will ask it even if it will hurt. I can come to them late at night, and then talk in the stairwell for hours or go study at a crazy starbucks. I cannot describe the impact they had on me this semester and i will owe them forever!

The view from the roof of my dorm building. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Though it is a little too cold to go out their now, when the weather is nice, this is the place to be. You go up there and you just get goosebumps. The sounds of the city and the hustle and bustle of it all. It really gives you a perspective of where you live! I live in the city..woah. I think every one has a little desire to live in a big city in them. At least for a few weeks to get the feel of the rush and the fashion and....dirtiness. I absolutely love living in the city. It is so much fun. So many things to do and see and it is no longer somewhere to hang out for the day...its home. 

I took this picture on accident, but its not so bad if ya know what I'm saying. I was standing at the red line stop in wrigleyville after church one Sunday. Yes, that's right, I have been going to church in THE wrigleyville. 

Public transportation. Mmm its a love/hate relationship. Sometimes it is nice to just get on a random train and go and not see people you know everywhere. Or to just sit and not have to worry about what is going on. Just kind of, let the train take ya somewhere. It is a nice place to just not think. BUT, it is also a place that is nasty sometimes. You get on and it smells and there are full, dirty diapers on the seat you were going to sit in. People's un-deodorized armpits are flapping with the rhythm of the train. And on some lines, there are like a billion people and I am amazed most times of how people pack on in there like sardines. 

Oh, ya know, just doing some homework. COME ON NOW! Reading and studying the living Word of God. That is not such a bad deal. It is actually and excellent deal! Sipping on a turtle mocha, with my Bible, sunglasses, in a Caribou Coffee in precious Geneva! The nice thing about being only a Metra ride away from the city. I can just get on the train and head to WEST to the burbies and be in peaceful Geneva sitting in a coffee shop doing homework. It also works out so i can see my precious Fuehring family and stop by at house group OH and see my mom and dad:) On the train ride back the the burbs, there is one stop that i love.. Wheaton. Why? My wonderful amazing friend Gabby is there to pick me up! It has been so awesome to experience college life and the city but also be able to come home, eat real food, see my friends, and do homework on the train! I am blessed. 

My next favorite thing is coffee and friends! I have begun to LOVE coffee. But when you get to get it with great friends, is even better. 

Me and Pippin "studying" for finals at starbucks! By the way, this girl, I LOVE HER! I love that she comes in my room and scares Chesney. I love that she is so nice and a great listener. And i love just being with her. 

Coffee with Allie after church! Starbucks...of course...what else is there?! My girl Allie. She is truly amazing. I go to her for anything and everything. Wisdom pours out of her and she is insanely fun. We can just laugh about the dumbest things until wee hours of the morning. I am so happy she is in my life. #blessing --that was for you Al :)

Chesney brings her own coffee because she is obsessed with mocha frappes. We DO study, but ya know, gotta take some breaks sometimes.

I am sorry this post was way too long. But it was a legit semester and I wish i could share with you all that I learned in and out of the classroom. Through books, people, and from God. I feel like I grew up this semester and I hope that this journey continues on in the same way it began. I am truly thankful for the people God brought into my life and for Him taking me to Moody.

P.S. I LOVE 10WEST WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE IN ME!

"I love Him more than my next breath"

Let me start this off by telling you about a legit girl in my life. Her name? Chesney Crouch! She became my roommate back in August. We had never met before and everything about each other was completely new. We started from square one on that day back in August. 

Little did we know that we would become fast friends.. well at least i think so! Not only are we roommates and we get to do life together every single day in that way, we are friends and it goes beyond just sharing a sink and bunking our beds. 

Chesney has truly become a woman I respect and truly want her wisdom in my life. She just says these little things, and it makes you say "woah, where the heck did that come from?" She loves to learn about the Word and I love to learn from her and listen to what she has to say about it. Needless to say she is wise beyond her years.

Not only is she wise, but she is HILARIOUS.. :)

(I'm sorry if this video doesn't work!) 

Now that you know a little bit about Chesney and the impact she has had on my life. Here is why I am writing this. One rainy Sunday afternoon we were walking to a local coffee shop to do some major studying. I have no idea what we were talking about but this next statement that Chesney muttered has stayed with me since. 

"I love Him (Jesus) more than my next breath.." 

I have no idea if she even remembers saying this or if she thought about its meaning before she said it. But, it caught me off guard, in a good way. That statement has not left my thoughts since that day. 

Loving Jesus, our Savior, more than our next breath. I mean don't get me wrong i LOVE Jesus, but my next breath? I love that a lot too. Sitting here, I keep breathing in, and not even thinking of it. But I am grateful. 

Do I even acknowledge the love I have for Jesus. Do the people around me see that I love Jesus more than my next breath? If they don't, something needs to change. God is the one who gives me the next breath that I love so much. How dare I even think to love the things that He gives me more than the One who is the Giver of those things. 

I am not so sure of how this is going to play out in my life each day but i do know that something has gotta give. Something has to change.

 I need to learn to love my Savior more than my next breath

 and truly, truly mean that.

 

Chesney loves Her Savior more than her next breath and I guarantee you it shows in her daily life. 

I want that in my life. 

"Walking With the Beholder"

I started off this journey thinking that I would never be a blogger and here I am. I decided to name it Walking With the Beholder for many reasons. 


1. This blog is for me to share what I am learning "walking" through life


2. I am on a journey with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am learning how to "walk" like Him and i have a feeling a lot of these blogs are going to be about my struggles with Him and insights He gives me


3. Beholder. God is my beholder, He looks on me with love and grace and cares for me as His. I have gone through a lot of stepping outside of myself and seeing the beauty that THE beholder has given me. It has been a process of figuring out who I am in the eyes of the beholder

This is my way of giving you a glimpse into my life when normally it is very hard for me to bring walls down. 

Welcome :)