Such a great crowd of witnesses

Hebrews 11:8-10, 16
"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God...Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."

I found these verses so reassuring today. We are praying that God will lead us to "a city where we can settle." My heavenly Father will provide an eternal city for me, so how much easier should it be for me to have faith that he will provide a city on earth!

Vegetarian Thanksgiving

I am one of four vegetarians (all ranging in degrees of commitment and strictness) who will be at my family's Thanksgiving celebration this year. I want to bring a vegetarian main-dish that can also be a side for the meat eaters. I've looked at a few websites but haven't found anything too fantastic. Any suggestions?

All Packed Up and Nowhere to Go

For the past two weeks, I've been finding all of our non-essential items, organizing, purging, and packing. It's made me realize how much we have that we could really live without. Right now, ten boxes have been packed, padded, labeled, and stored away. Ten boxes of books, picture frames, various home decorations, and dishes that I know will not be essential for us to have in the next two months, or ever really. We don't even know where we'll put the things we do "need" in December.

We also have one gigantic, heaping box of things to get rid of. I've been thinking of how to get rid of some of these things, and I've decided to pawn them off on you, dear reader. So, if you see anything on the following list that strikes your fancy, let me know. I'll probably edit this post to add more items as the packing continues and to remove things that have been taken if this turns out to be a successful way of getting rid of clutter.

So, here it goes.

1 large green plastic watering can (probably holds 2 gallons)
1 pink 5" x 7" multi-pocket file
1 Michelangelo action figure (the Ninja Turtle, not the artist)
1 package with 2 iron-onto-fabric velco strips with velcro letters
2 Motorola phone chargers
1 navy blue and black spaghetti strap dress from Express, size Small (FYI: this is not originally mine and I only tried it on once--on me, it was not a pretty picture.)
1 black men's wallet, used, has a sticker on the inside
2 floral teacups and saucers
40 (plus a bag of extras) Christmas cards that are light blue and say "Peace on Earth" in silver
1 cast-iron (I think) bowl holder (the bowl is broken but it can hold other like-sized dishes)
1 bill organizer with small storage drawer
1 white baseball cap with a grey tree on the front
20 mini bungee cords
1 owl beanie baby with a graduation cap that says Class of 2004
1 large glass vase
1 ballerina doll that spins on her toes, clothes for her and a full length ballet mirror
2 contact cases
1 unopened bottle of contact solution, equate brand
1 L.E.D. head lamp
1 small navy blue make-up bag
1 bright light green short-sleeved sweater with a small stain I didn't want to try that hard to get out
1 light and dark green striped shirt with stars on it, Junior's medium
1 silver Faith Hope Love bracelet
1 bracelet/ankle bracelet, pink suede ties, flower on a piece of shell
3 stretchy pink beaded necklaces
1 faux pearl necklace with silver chain
1 set faux pearl earrings (a bunch of small faux pearls grape-style on each earring)
1 set stud earrings with faux pearl flower
1 bracelet with pink and purple crystals

Kitchen items:
2 plastic goblets, 1 blue and 1 pink
2 very large pink plastic cups
3 ice cube trays to make skinny ice cubes to put in water bottles
1 pinapple cutter
1 citrus juicer
1 thermos
1 black sake set
1 corkscrew
1 pasta serving measure
3 plastic spoons
1 large whisk
1 pasta server
1 somewhat dull chopping knife
1 plastic lettuce knife

Books: (I don't vouch for all of these...)
Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston
Waking Up American: Coming of Age Biculturally edited by Angela Jane Fountas
Tokugawa Religion: The Cultural Roots of Modern Japan by Robert Bellah
Asthma for Dummies
Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Trends of Civilization and Culture by Charles Gray Shaw
Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits edited by Mike Ashley
258 Great Dates While You Wait by Shelenberger & Johnson
Perfect Peace by Hannah Whitall Smith
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
An Open Heart by The Dalai Lama
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Volkswagen Blues by Jaques Poulin (written in French)
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
The Greek View of Life by Dickinson
Storm Front (Book 1 of the Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
Fool Moon (Book 2 of the Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
Grave Peril (Book 3 of the Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
Dead Beat (A Novel of the Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Tricky Business by Dave Barry
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (if you like to build fires, this one's for you)
Lord Peter by Dorothy Sayers
Vanity Fair by Thackeray (very poor condition)
The Complete Book of Creative Scrapbooking

My yo-yo is God's straight line

I have a countdown for graduation on my google homepage. For a long time, I've seen it as a beacon of hope for my escape into the real world. Once that timer went off, I was going to live somewhere else, have a job, and have a plan.

Now, my countdown has begun to taunt me. One month and seventeen days until I am no longer a student, no longer qualify for student health insurance, no longer can live in university housing, no longer can pay for food with student loans. One month and seventeen days until I need to know what I am going to do for money, where I am going to live, how I am going to take care of myself when I'm sick.

We've had these decisions in mind for years and have been trusting that God would come through. First, we were really attached to the idea of moving back to Des Moines. Beautiful Des Moines with its free parking downtown on Saturdays, its plethora of movie theatres and restaurants, its non-college-towny feel, its crowds of family. Then, we realized that obedience might take us to other places. For a while, we wanted to go to Korea. We were always "open" to the idea that God might keep us in Iowa City.

Two Sundays ago, Dexter and I prayed, read scripture, and made lists, concluding that maybe it really was God's will for us to go to Des Moines. I excitedly sent out letters of interest to school districts around Des Moines.

But as soon as we started telling our house church what we thought God's will could be, I did not want to leave. I wanted to stay in Iowa City with my church that I knew and with people that I knew would encourage me. At some point during the week, Dexter talked me down from my violent rejection of the idea of moving to Des Moines.

Yesterday, Dexter and I prayed, read scripture, and made more lists. We concluded that maybe it was God's will for us to stay in Iowa City. Dexter would have a job at Capanna, I could substitute teach, and we could keep our close relationships with our spiritual brothers and sisters. We spent the afternoon looking up apartments that would be available this winter. Maybe by August there would be Capanna business to be done in Des Moines and an ESL job there for me.

Today I got a call from the Des Moines Public Schools asking me to interview for a substitute teaching position. I have an interview next Monday. I've heard that "getting your foot in the door" can be a surefire way of landing a job when one becomes available.

I keep reminding myself of Psalm 107:7, which says, "He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle." I believe that our considering these different options is a step along the path God has laid for us. Even though I feel like I am being jerked back and forth by different ideas, I know that God knows every step in the process and sees each step as step forward in his "straight way." I'm praying that God's straight way includes us knowing where we should live by the time we graduate, and I'm praying even more that I would trust him even if it didn't.

Proverbs 15:22 says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." So, if you have any wisdom to share, my ears are open.