This. is. life.

So.
I want to be real with you.
Whoever 'you' might be.

I would like to share with you. My life. In a nutshell of course... because any other way would be a tremendous task. Bit by bit. Day by day.

Maybe, this blog could be for anyone who just wants to keeps tabs on me once in a while. (Once in a while because I cannot promise anything consistent).

Shall we begin?

First of all... you need to know a few of the majorly important things about me.

- I love love love love love God. I think He is so incredibly awesome, in the truest sense of the word. If you don't know Him... I highly encourage you to seek him out. He says those who seek will find Him, He has made himself known to us. That fact alone is crazy enough. Let alone the fact that He loves so crazily unconditionally us - crazy, tainted, rebellious, man-fearing, selfish beings - that he created for us a redemption path so that we could BE WITH Him. How amazing is that?

- I am so incredibly imperfect. There is a list stretching all the way to the moon and back again on the things I need to work on. But... I am working... that's the point. Working on things that need to be worked on. Some of which I will definitely share with you. I am so so so so so thankful that I can stand in the knowledge that my salvation and my righteousness is NOT attained by the works I do. But simply in my faith in Christ, I can stand before a Holy God and worship Him, with all my flaws fully exposed. Funny how much freedom there is in that.

- I am a crazy passionate person. I am visionary. I get really really excited. I will share BIG ideas with you. And small ones. BUT... that doesn't mean I am going to do them. Even if I sound like it... it's probably more like...'it-would-be-cool-if' type ideas. I just get... excited, and ahead of myself really easy. That's a heads up. And if you know me already... I know you're nodding your head and smiling. It's something I am working on. There are worse things.

- The little things: I am a student. Taking Human Justice. Second Year. I love it. I love to travel. (and am ITCHING to GO somewhere!). I love coffee. (and am unfortunately allergic to caffeine or something). I am working at a coffee shop. Surprise.

- I asked my dear friend to tell me some things about myself...here is what she came up with. (you know how sometimes your friends know you better than you know yourself)
~ you like people and love to be around them, BUT you also need need to make that time alone with God in order to feel whole and complete.

~you are good at wording hard things in a nice way

~you like to buy things.... :):)

~you like to be edgy... sometimes

~you say ha ha when it doesn't fit sometimes


- I am working on conversing with people. Well. About faith mainly (Perhaps because it is really what I am most passionate about). And life in general. Maybe I will share some of those conversations. I seem to have many interesting ones.

So... with ALL of that. You have an idea of who I am, and a hint about where I am coming from. Maybe I'll even share some of my past with you. We'll see ;)
For now... its 1230am... and I have a breakfast picnic date with my friend Carmen at 930. So... I shall be off.

Oh... one quick last thing. I LOVE to answer questions. So ask me stuff. Anything at all. About life, faith... really... anything! I am an open book!... or blog?

Goodnight! For real this time!

With Joy.

~ Cheryl

a hidden story?

This... is.. crazy...
are you ready?
Cuz... I don't think you are.

How many times have you skipped Genesis 5? You know... the Adam to Noah list of who is the father of who and how long they lived... (I always found their ages the most interesting!) Well...there is a message... God's plan... revealed embedded deep enough that only those who are seeking will find it. I hear this in a sermon this morning... and honestly was skeptical because it all seemed too... fluid. So I looked it up myself this afternoon...and it stood true (as true as the internet can be?) I'll post the sources I used at the end.
SO... here we go... the name MEANINGS of the 10 fathers in Genesis 5... and the story they tell?
(The ones in brackets are the one from the sermon if they were different from what I found)

Adam - Man of Earth
father of
Seth - Anointed, Nominated
father of
Enosh - Man... frail miserable, (weak sickly)
father of
Kenan - to take possession, to aquire, (struggling working)
father of
Mahalalel - praise of God, (glory of God)
father of
Jared - descends
father of
Enoch - instruct with speech (bringing teaching)
father of
Methuselah - die, sending away, more specifically with sword or spear, (death by sword)
father of
Lamech - this one was pretty uncertain... but here's is the options... (conqueriing youth), for lowering or humiliation, priest servant of God, strong man.
father of
Noah - rest, soothing, (comfort)

So... if we take the meanings... and put them in a sentence...
we have this...

Man of Earth, nominated and anointed, becomes frail, miserable, weak and sickly to take possession for the glory of God, brings teaching and dies with a spear (while on the cross) becomes a strong man..a conquering youth (of death)...to bring rest and comfort.

The gospel. In Genesis 5.

Neat? I think so.
Chew on it a bit.


http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning.html

http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/lamech_hess.pdf

A word from St. Augustine

Late have I loved you, O beauty so ancient and new.
Late have I loved you!

You were within me while I have gone outside to seek You.
Unlovely myself, I rushed towards all those lovely things You had made.
And always You were with me, and I was not with You.
All these beauties kept me far from you -
although they would not have existed at all unless they had their being in You.

You called,
You cried,
You shattered my deafness.
You sparkled,
You blazed,
You drove away my blindness.

You offered my Your fragrance,
I drew in my breath, and I pant for You.
I tasted and now I hunger and thirst.
You touched me, and now I burn with longing for your peace.

- St. Augustine - (354-430AD)