I’ve been at college for nearly 4 years. I’ve had tendonitis in my hands for 3 of them.

Today I was thinking about it, because I have big papers due, and my hands are pretty inflamed from all the typing… at the end of every semester it’s this way.

I wonder what these last 3 years would have been like without pain in my hands.

Sometimes it’s hard to seperate my procrastination from it. I mean, it’s one thing to sit down and type a paper, in the spring semester when you are just out of motivation for school. It’s another thing to sit down and type that same paper under the same circumstances when your hands hurt. Am I just being a baby and avoiding the paper? Or… well, I’ve got to write it anyway, so there is no “or.” Ow.

Or to be tired and distracted in class… how much of it is just me not getting enough sleep and not focusing, and how much is it because my hands are tingling and burning constantly?

I have to pour myself out a lot more. It’s taken more sacrifice than even I notice. School is harder for me because of these hands and the state they are in. My 38 page paper last semester? Contained hours of blood, sweat, and tears, literally.

Thanks God, for Ibuprophen. And for helping me through. Cause by the way, even though I’d be fine if my tendonitis were to suddenly disappear ANY TIME, I still wouldn’t change the last 3 years. No way.  

3 weeks plus one semester left!

I just got back from DCC (Denver Christmas Conference). It was great! I knew that God would use that time away from everyday stuff, not to mention the laziness of being at home, to speak to me and do work in my heart- and He did.

A few small things:

We stayed right on the 16th street mall in Denver, and so every day as we walked to eat or to walgreens or whatever, I would see quite a few homeless people. I thought of Stace and how she spent her summer at the open door mission in Denver, and how she fully loves serving in that kind of a setting. Also, it made my money (“my” money) seem a whole lot less important to me. It boiled it down to every dollar.. how much does whatever it is that I could buy with this dollar matter to me, versus what it could mean to someone who doesn’t have this dollar. Anyway, it made me think.

“Give it away,” said Bryan Loritts… over and over again. “Ouch,” said Frances, as God continually spoke right through him to my heart. How about this: “If you’re not giving it away, the passion’s gonna leave ya.” (My passion quickly poured, then went down to a drizzle, last semester, leaving me pretty dry. “Give it away” .. pouring into someone what God has done and is doing in your own life.)

Or this: “The American church does pretty great with addition, but terrible with multiplication.” … as in, producing reproducing followers of Jesus Christ; making disciples.
“I see a lot of tasks on your calendar… but where are your priorities?”
-Dennis Rainey, looking over Bryan Loritts’ schedule.
(“Ouch” -Frances)
“ Lots of motion……………………………….. but no movement. “
(“Ouch” -Frances)

Being there with my UNO family in Christ = priceless.

The world.. justice….. hard, cold facts on being lukewarm…  time to continue the Pray / Think process about next year/after I (Lord willing)graduate… worship….. prayer about my upcoming (AHHHH one month away TOMORROW!) trip to Jamaica.                            It was all good.

God gave me many things this last week- thoughts, heart attitudes, new ideas & desires, verses that have stuck with me.

“Give it away.”

What I like my priorities to be:

God
Family
Friends
Cru
Camp
School
Work
And so on

But as far as how I should be spending my time all of this month, the priorities want to force themselves upon me as follows:

School aka 30 page paper
…. school also ties for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th….
Then comes a strange, sad mix of God, family, and friends, and camp and Cru…
Followed by work I guess.
Followed by eating food. And sleeping. But they are barely on that chart.

I don’t like it.