rags for riches

Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
((Philippians 4:6-7))

Trade in your fears and anxiety for His peace and joy.
Sounds good to me :)


I've been saying goodbye to lots of friends lately
and I think reality is finally starting to set in.

I'm leaving. SOON.
I have about 4 days left.

I'm not really nervous,
I'm just concerned that I'm going to forget something.
I might end up in Zambia without pajamas or my toothbrush or something.
I can see myself doing that....

I know that doesn't sound like a big deal to you guys,
but when your 5 hours from the grocery store those things make a difference.

Lord, bring everything to mind as I finish packing.
Don't let me forget anything I can't do without.


So besides the fear of forgetting things,
I'm simply thrilled to be going.
God's got some great plans for this trip,
I know he does :)






Oh taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
((Psalm 34:8-10))

not all who wander are lost

I have the passports with the lovely zambia visas stamped inside of them.
I have the plane tickets.
I have the duffel bag ready to be filled.
I have the clothes set aside waiting to be packed.
I have an ipod ready to be topped off with a few more artists.
I have a hostel booked in London across the street from Hyde Park.
I have planned to do little else than wander through out the streets there.
I have 2 1/2 months to soak in Africa and enjoy the Tompkins family.


My doubts, fears, and hesitations have been washed away and replaced with sheer excitement for the upcoming months.

I stumbled upon a path in the underbrush and I'm taking it :)

September 9th - December 4th Jamie Cramer will be quite out of reach

inspiration

Maurice Baquet [actor and cellist]
photo by Robert Doisneau

Magnifique.


I'm going to miss my music when I go...

Heaven and earth

God's definition of love....
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.
1 John 3:16

The worlds definition of love...

1. to hold dear ; to cherish
2. to feel affection or experience desire
[Meriam-Webster dictionary]

How can you even begin to compare the two?

The worlds idea of love is selfish, depending entirely on your own emotions.
When we stop feeling that blend of lust and emotion we simply say we fell out of love, and head off in search of another target for our self gratifying "love".
There is no depth, no need for a true commitment.
Love is fleeting and transitory.

Gods love is pure and selfless.
Gods love extends to the unlovable.
His love is permanent, there is nothing we can do or say to remove it.
Gods love is not often returned.
Gods love means sacrifice.
To love as He does means to feel the rejection He has felt.
To love as He does means to experience the complete joy that comes from abiding in Him.


I choose REAL love.





But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.
By this we know that we are in Him.
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

1 John 2:5-6

soon

51 days til departure.

The last thing we have to worry about is our complicated passport visa situation.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Once we have that taken care of it's smooth sailing.

51 one days.
Oh my gosh.

Are we ready?

blue skies

cool breeze.
warm sand.
cold water.

As I sat on the beach the other day-
hands in the sand,
waves rushing past me,
watching the castle flow back into the sea-
I felt, for a split second, a complete sense of peace wash over me.

At that exact moment, I realized that summer is here :)





Not too long after that realization,
Lisa and I officially declared it summer with a night of wandering in Cape May.

The result was a care free night,
complete with great conversation and some awesome photographs....




Nothing, nothing, nothing is better than a NJ summer.

a new normal...

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
-R. Frost


You can't be certain of anything in life.
What is here today could be gone tomorrow.
Nothing is guaranteed.
I am slowly learning that nothing should be take for granted,
that everything should be held loosely,
that you need to appreciate what things are now.
If you're waiting to see what it will be tomorrow,
you're missing the point completely.

...You do not know what will happen tomorrow.
For what is your life?
It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
(James 4)

What I knew yesterday is a stranger to me today.
Nothing gold can stay.

Greenacres Manor

Nikon D200: $2000
iPOD: $250
Photos from Rob: Priceless

.....................

Rob and I returned to our old building the other day to re-shoot my senior photos.
Along with some pink chairs we got off the side of the road.
Yes, we're very resourceful :)

The pictures came out incredibly well.
I can't wait to put them out at the graduation party...





Thank you for beautiful, sunshiny days, good music, cameras, and best friends.

A something in a summer's day

A something in a summer's day,
As slow her flambeaux burn away,
Which solemnizes me.

A something in a summer's noon, -
An azure depth, a wordless tune,
Transcending ecstacy.
-Emily Dickinson

Graduation is behind me.
Summer is before me.
I'm ready!

Corey and I celebrated the beginning of summer with a trip to Philly.


Complete with falafel :)




Also the plans for my Zambia trip are steadily falling into place.
God is providing the funds and the other necessary means.
I really think it's going to work out.
I PRAY that it works out.
I'm ready to see the world....

Let the little children come

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them,
because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."



He knew what He was doing when He brought one this adorable into our home.

"To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness...."

When God takes something precious away you know
He has something greater in store for you.

Is it harder to fight through the same suffering all your life,
and always know what you're up against?

Or is it harder to have a good long time to enjoy a full life,
and then to be blindsided by something you thought you knew,
but then turned out to be something else entirely?


One after another....

eternal perspective....

A friend of a friend passed away last week, leaving behind her husband and two young sons.
I never met her, but my entire church had been praying for her healing since her cancer had progressed to more intense stages, about 5 months ago.
Keep the family in your prayers.

Funerals always put things in perspective...
I am reminded that suffering is not eternal, it is merely a tool God uses to shape our hearts into more worthy vessels.
.................................................................
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
-1 Peter 5:10
.................................................................








...He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
-Revelation 21:3-4


waiting for that day!

Life goes on

Just finished reading Kate Chopin's The Awakening.

"The voice of the sea speaks to the soul."

Beautiful.

Made me want summer even more.
I wasn't sure if that was possible.


On another note...

Eric set up the zip line :)

The Past Is Such A Curious Creature....

I believe I've started to live...