Engaged!

In case you couldn't tell by the name of this blog post, Jeremy and I have some exciting news!  We are engaged!  Jeremy surprised me after my last class on Friday with roses.  It took me a minute to put two and two together, realizing that he was actually up in Virginia!  (For those of you who don't know, Jeremy moved to Florida in June to be a part of the Aletheia Gainesville church plant.)   After my shift at work on Saturday, we spent the day going back to places in Harrisonburg that were significant to us during our friendship and dating relationship.  We ended up at JMU's quad in the freezing cold and starry night above us.

We found ourselves sitting on the steps of Wilson Hall over a year and a half ago after Harrisonburg failed to launch fireworks on the 4th of July.  This turned into a significant night for us as we talked about our future -- we were not yet dating at the time.  We talked about our future yet again on the night of February 9th as Jeremy asked me to marry him.  I of course said yes, so here we are as a newly engaged couple!  Jeremy heads back to Florida this afternoon, so we still haven't figured out everything as far as our date and what not, but we will definitely keep you posted as we plan more.  

With Love,
Jeremy & Janelle

Sapphire

Today I had the pleasure of taking some save-the-date pictures for one of my best friends and her fiance.  A favorite shot of mine from today is a simple picture of their hands.  She has a beautiful sapphire engagement ring that was hand made for her.  They were super fun to work with -- even in below freezing windy weather.  Basically, this couple is the best :) 

2.2.13

Kitteh

So I got home around 11:30 and realized that it's day 2 and I'm off to a bad start.  So I think of what I could possibly photograph and automatically thought of my cat.  Bad idea people.  She's not really into being photographed.  But you do get two pictures this time!! One that is cute and the technical "picture of the day" and the other one is just because she is hilarious.  Awful quality, but so so funny.  She found a shirt on the floor and decided that it was the greatest toy ever and wrapped herself in it.  I snagged the picture without changing settings, cause I knew this pose would only last so long!  And yes.  That is sawdust in her fur.

What a goober

My beautiful kitty :)

A Picture A Day

Hello blogging world!  Long time, I know.  But that's all going to change.  As some of you may know, it's my birthday today - yay!  I've been thinking about being more intentional and involved with photography, so I decided a while ago that at some point, I want to take a picture a day.  It will mostly be for my enjoyment and growth, but I hope that some of you may receive something from it as well.  I had completely forgotten about my idea until I pulled into my driveway from school.  We've had a lot of rain the past two days, so a tiny puddle has accumulated next to our driveway.  A simple but sweet scene was made with a hydrangea stock laying in the water and a white feather hanging out behind it.  I had to take a picture for some reason, and then was reminded of my picture-a-day idea.  And so it begins...

Also, I'm going to do my best to not edit these pictures except for maybe cropping and vignetting.

The Little Things

It truly is the little things in life that make a difference.  I should be in choir right now, but Hurricane Sandy has caused EMU to cancel classes... Not before my 9 am class though of course.  That would be too convenient   Anyway, this was really a blessing for me.  There are so many things that I have already gotten done this morning -- things that may seem not important, but now that they're done, my life seems less cluttered and less stressful.

Here are two fun things I did this morning:

1.  I've been looking at Diamond Candles for quite some time.  It's a really fun concept.  They have lots of different scents of candles for $25 a piece plus shipping.  The kicker is, in every single candle, there is a ring ranging in price from $10-5,000.  In lieu of the season we are in, I decided to get the pumpkin chai candle.  If you use this link, you can get it for $5 off and free shipping!! This offer won't last for long though.  I can't wait for it to come in the mail so I can burn it to enjoy it's (hopefully) amazing smell, and get a ring out of it!!

2.  For a while, I've been thinking about a way I can do a pay-it-forward of sorts, and I finally came up with something that would not only be really fun for me and for the recipient, but would also promote our Etsy shop:  The Dean Girls!! I'm giving away a free pair of my specialty Bird's Nest Freshwater Pearl earrings!  They can be dressed up, or worn with every day clothes.  They're a great gift for those hard-to-buy-for ladies in your life! (Or for yourself!!) All you have to do is "like" the link on our facebook page to get a chance to win! We'll choose a winner on Halloween.  No need to worry if you're far away -- it'll be free shipping in the continental US!

One fun thing I'll do later this afternoon:

Paint!! I've been wanting to for a really long time, but just haven't had the opportunity to.  I am going to finish my Ab Psych homework and Sr Sem project first of course :)  I've had ideas racking up in my brain and think I know what I want this painting to look like!  I'm super excited to hang out by myself (or with my kitty if she'll behave) and paint while listening to music!

So that's what I'm up to today.  I hope everyone has a wonderful last few days of October!

God stays the same, and sadly, so do we.

Tel Arad.  One of the many ancient Biblical sites we visited on my cross cultural in the Middle East in the Spring of 2012.  It is mentioned in the Old Testament a handful of times, and in more or less an indirect way.  The king of Arad is mentioned, but other than that, it is used as a geographical location.  Arad is located just about 8 miles west of the Dead Sea.  Because of its climate, sea level, and surrounding geography, this land is very barren on its own.  While exploring the site, I could not imagine attempting to cultivate such dry brittle land, even with today's technology.  Their dirt could be easily comparable to sand.  I'm used to rich, dark, and moist soil back in Virginia.  Even with their lack of rain and with their poor soil, Arad was almost constantly inhabited.  We quickly learned at Jerusalem University College that trade is one of the most important commodities in Biblical times.  If you could get yourself on a trade route, or better yet, and intersection of two trade routes, you'd probably do pretty well.  That is exactly what Arad was built.  Routes from the East and South East ran close by. 

In Deuteronomy 12, Moses clearly lays out how God wanted the Israelites to worship Him. In verse 5, they are commanded to seek out the place (not places) the Lord chose to dwell.  As most of you know or could guess, this place is Jerusalem.  There are laws upon laws about sacrifices, tithing, and other forms of worship which I won't go into, but Jerusalem is clearly the place to go.  However, it becomes pretty hard to travel all the 60 miles to Jerusalem no matter how wealthy you are.  There is always work to be done, especially in a smaller community such as Arad.  It is not uncommon to find sacrificial alters scattered throughout Israel and the rest of the Middle East.  Arad had one as pictured below. There was probably around a 5 foot drop right after the alter. (I was standing on the remains of a wall to take the picture)

One thing that is quite interesting about Arad is that they actually had a Holy of Holies. There is only supposed to be one Holy of Holies... They believed God to dwell there, and there alone.  So why would they build their own?  I dunno.  Anyway, here is the incense alter at the entrance for YHWH.  I guess that's pretty normal, or as normal as it can be considering the craziness of this situation.  

More about Arad.  They were not in complete isolation from everyone.  Most of the tribes/cities/towns/whatever you want to call them worshiped the goddess Asherah.  She is known as the goddess of heaven (Jeremiah 7:16-20; 44:17-19).  It is clear in this last passage that these people, while in Egypt, fully believed that Asherah was responsible for their fertile crop and general well being.  But those living in Arad were clearly Jewish.  They were God's chosen people.  They wouldn't have had a Holy of Holies otherwise!! But here's the kicker...  

They didn't solely worship God.  As you can see depicted in the photo below, they worshiped a second, smaller god, probably God's "wife."  So much is wrong with this.  Not only do they depict God having a wife, they also have graven images for God.  In case you can't tell, the alter on the bottom left is YHWH's incense alter, bottom right is likely Asherah's.  The stone tablet (it has a technical name that I can't remember) in the upper left represents God, and the one in the middle of the picture represents His "wife." 

I couldn't wrap my mind around this for the longest time.  These were God's chosen people.  They were quick to make you know it too.  You would think that out of all people, they would be the ones to remain loyal to their God since He clearly anointed them.  However, it seems like all the Israelites did was complain.  They whined when they were in the desert.  They wanted to go back into captivity in Egypt.  They needed sign after sign after sign to believe God's sovereignty.  Here, for whatever reason, they weren't solely worshiping the One True God.  There are a few arguments that can be made as to why, but I don't want to spend too much time on them.  It could be that their neighbors convinced them that they needed to worship Asherah to prosper in this land.  It could be that maybe they believed there was a possibility that Asherah did exist, so they didn't want to make her angry by neglecting her.  Or maybe it could be that they wanted to fit in with those who surrounded them, and cared more about being liked and not getting into trouble with them than getting into trouble with God.
I tried time after time to put myself into the shoes of an Israelite while I was on my cross cultural, and I have to say, it's a lot harder than it sounds.  Yes, I hiked Mt. Sinai, but I did it in a large group with plenty of resources, and were only there for half a day.  I didn't go by myself.  I didn't go for 40 days.  I didn't wander in the desert wondering if I was going to survive... I feel like EMU would be in trouble if they let their cross culturals do such things.  So I don't know what I would do if I was in the situation of those in Arad.  I would love to say that I would stand firm in my faith and never waver, but honestly, if someone held me at gunpoint and said, "If you at least look like you're worshiping my god too, then it's no biggie." I can't guarantee that I'd  say no.  Maybe those living in Arad were like, "Well, God, you know in my heart that I only worship you.  This is all fake.  We just don't want any trouble."
So maybe we don't take it to the extremes that they did in Arad.  But we constantly jeopardize our relationship with God.  We put things next to (or heaven forbid, above) God that really deserve no such exhaultedness.  Yes.  I just made up a word.  But really.  We all have things in our lives that we let get in the way of God.  Maybe it's money, or that trashy romance novel, or pornography, or alcohol.  Or maybe it's something that seems a little less harmful such as a relationship, a hobby, or serving.  Yup.  Even serving.  There should be nothing else in our "holy of holies" unless it is glorifying God.  (We know that God dwells in us, so our "holy of holies" is essentially our lives.)  So even if we have good intentions for something, such as serving the church, if we aren't doing it for the glory of God, it is just as nasty as worshiping Asherah alongside God.  Except, instead of Asherah, we're worshiping ourselves.
Luckily for us, God never changes though.  He has a plan of redemption for us.  He wants to have a relationship with us, and has wanted to be in communion with us since day one.  We just keep messing things up.  Thankfully, we can have full assuredness that Christ has come to redeem us and there is nothing that we can do to undeserve His grace.  So no matter how many times we let our personal Asherah's slip into a place they don't deserve, we will always be able to receive God's grace.  Not at all saying we should purposefully go around and sin, because we do need to fully repent which is a whole different topic.
So my main point.  We are not awesome, but we serve an awesome God.

It's been a while...

It really has... A lot, yet not much has happened since... well... forever it seems!  Last semester was spent abroad in the Middle East which was a crazy awesome experience.  I'm sure I'll throw in stories here and there of my time spent across the ocean, but as of now, I still don't really know what I think.  I know those 3.5 months impacted me, but I still can't point my finger on the exact places it's changed me.   I spent my time studying history, both Biblical and general, learning Arabic, learning many different cultures and religions, learning more about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, looking at the Bible in an archaeological way, and so much more.  I'm totally open to questions and love telling about my experience!

But now I'm back in the States.  I'm back to people pushing for their what-feels-like pointless agenda on everyone.  Coming back from my cross cultural, the main thing I learned was that Jesus is truly all that matters.  He is needed everywhere in the world.  Not just in the Holy Land where it all began.  Not just in upper-middle class America.  Not just in ancient political powerhouses like Rome.  Everyone everywhere needs Jesus.  It has frustrated me to no end recently to see how readily available He is to all of us, but how blatantly we slam the door on His face.  It just reaffirms my calling (and yours too whether you want to believe it or not) to tell others of Jesus' awesome love and mercy.

I'm really glad to be back in my church at Aletheia Harrisonburg.  I'm glad to be surrounded by an amazing group of women on Thursday nights, and how quickly I am able to connect with new ladies since merging groups.  I'm so blessed to be able to be with people who have Jesus #1 in their lives for the sake of all He has done for us.  Not because we want to use Him to back up our own desires, but because we recognize that we are all sinners and in need of His great love, compassion, and mercy.

As far as what I am up to, other than the whole readjusting because of culture shock and getting back and involved at church, I would have to say not much.  I am trying to find a job, but most places are turned off when they see my school schedule for next semester.  It's crazy how I feel like it's easier for a high schooler to find a job than a college student.  But whatever.  God will provide.  His plan is far better than mine.  Part of me gets the feeling that God is allowing me this time to be able to be with Jeremy as much as possible before he moves.  

That's another big thing in my life.  Jeremy is moving to Gainesville, Florida in less than 2 weeks.  I don't think it's completely hit either one of us, but it sure will soon enough!  Luckily, I found a super cheap ticket to be able to drive down with him, stay a week, and then fly back to VA.  I'm not at all sure how or when we will see each other next, but I do know that it won't ever be as long as it was when I was in the Middle East.  Regardless, it won't be easy, but the easy things in life are definitely not the most rewarding.  All I have to say is I am so excited to FINALLY be down in FL and check out Gainesville for myself.  I've driven past it who knows how many times, but never actually been there.  I'm excited to finally see what exactly it is about this place that Jeremy loves.  I will admit that I was (and maybe still am to a slight degree) skeptical about the whole moving to Florida ordeal.  It's hot there.  I am one of those who sleeps with her window open when it is snowing outside.  I guess it's one of those never-say-never ordeals.  All I know is, if it is the place where God will be most glorified through me, then that's where I'll be!  So definitely be praying for the city of Gainesville, that hearts would be opened to the ministry we have, and all those on our church planting team, whether already there, or still in their respective places -- Virginia mostly I believe.

And on the side, mostly for fun, I have enjoyed doing a lot of random stuff.   I'm getting more and more into photography and finding out more of what my niche is in the art.  I'm realizing that my photo editing software is okay, but really not that great.  I also am pining for a 50mm 1.4 lens, but neither of those two items will be upgraded in the near future seeing as how my job prospects are pretty slim.  I've also gotten into painting recently, but totally not big deal stuff... More of completely copy what others have already done on Etsy so I don't have to pay the big bucks for it.  If you ever want a new piece of art for your wall, let me know and I'm sure we can work something out!  I'm also working on making an online book of my travels in the Middle East since scrap booking has become too messy, time consuming, and probably more expensive in the long run.  Plus this looks more professional.  I also spend a little too much time on Pinterest.  So, long story short, I guess I'm trying to be more artsy??

Oddly enough, one of the hardest yet most rewarding things I'm doing recently is relearning what it is to be a musician.  I've totally gotten the whole classical thing down.  Put a Mozart Aria down in front of me, and with the help of a solid accompanist, I won't have much problem sight reading it.  It's totally humbling though to have this in front of me:  Em  G  D  C  G and struggle.  (Props if you can figure out what song it is to!) I over analyze music way too much.  (I guess I should clarify that this is for piano.  Put that in front of me with my guitar, and I would be a little more than worried if I had issues...)  My mind goes all these crazy stupid places about what position I should play it in, and what other chords could legitimately follow the one I'm playing now, instead of letting the music flow through me.  I still don't really know if I am that kind of person.  I can tell you right now it would sound 1000x better if you give me staff paper and 5 minutes to notate everything.  Sometimes I'm envious of others abilities to play something completely by ear, or by lead sheet symbols.  But I have to remember that the flip side is probably happening too.  I know others would kill for my ability to sight read or even just read music.  I'm definitely glad to have those abilities, but I just wish I would have learned a little more improv.  All this to say, I'm learning!  And it's crazy.  I wouldn't have said this 2 years ago, but I am so ready to not use an upright, but have a keyboard.  Someday...

So, this is my completely random blog post about my life recently! I hope that you somehow enjoyed some part of it!