My dreams have found a purpose.

It's 9:33 and I should be getting in bed right now... but, I have decided to blog instead :) As of last Tuesday, I officially helped birth a baby at work, and intend on spending 12 more hours in that pursuit tomorrow. Hence, I should really be getting some sleep... but my mind is full.

What is my mind full with you might ask? Dreams. I am a perpetual dreamer. I aspire to accomplish grandiose feats in my time and complacency seems to be my ever present enemy.

While up at Hume, I was talking to Grandpa Boy love love love (as he's saved in my skype contacts -- my grandpa skypes and that's only ONE of the many reasons why he's the greatest) about dreams. Not the kind of dreams that you have while fast asleep (I like those kinds too), but the kind that keep you awake at night with excitement and eager anticipation. I went on to tell my grandpa of a handful of dreams that I have for my life. To name a few, I listed things like: serving in South Africa next summer, working for a few years in a hospital in the US, being employed with Doctors Without Borders and filling people's tangible needs worldwide. Dreams like attending Bible College and making a difference, like being the healing hands of Jesus and touching lives, but inviting Him to touch their souls.

These dreams, all wonderful to me, are of course for the purpose of "furthering His kingdom" or "doing hard things, so that He might be glorified." I find that I use these, often times, Christian cliches to describe the purpose of my dreams, the purpose of my life. But my grandpa, well, he spoke the words that I needed to hear - words that my dreaming half didn't particularly want to hear, but that my soul deeply needed.

He told me "Kelly, those are all wonderful things, but do you realize that works have become your focus? Kelly, you are dreaming of DOING FOR GOD, but all He really wants is You. He wants your full attention in this present moment, and He wants Himself to be enough for you."

*Insert conviction here* I find, and with this I will close, that I am prone to doing for God, rather than being with God. Not to say that God isn't in those wonderful things or that God hasn't instilled those precious dreams in my heart, but what He wants is me. He just wants me and when I'm occupied or busy with doing, I often times lose sight of that.

My encouragement to you is this: may you come to know the heart of the Father and may that be enough. If you are trying, striving, reaching and hoping to work towards DOING wonderful things in life FOR HIM, know that seeking daily intimacy with Him is enough. Just being with Him is enough. I would encourage you to unwind, let go and climb into the lap of the Father who is waiting eagerly for your company -- the company of your heart and full attention. May you experience the love of the Father and may close intimacy with Him bring opportunities into your life that are larger than you could have dreamed. May He be enough for you and may your dreams rest in peace.

Good night.

Summer summary in photos.

I know! School doesn't start for another 3 weeks, but still...


(My first loaf of NON FAIL BREAD)


(For the win)







(First time I've ever made my own dough)


(And Pizza for that matter... delish)


(Bone Marrow Transplant elcome home banner for Evan ~ Clinically cancer free! Rejoice, again I say REJOICE!)


(My Trinket)


(Kev and his girlfried, Ellie, making dinner)


(Love this Lady. Lisa = Superwoman)


(Lisa's awesome fam)


(Blackberry cobbler! Um yes :)


(I have the best grandparents ever.)






(Ellie: Kevin, we're going to have a competition to see who can eat corn and go the longest without cleaning their teeth with their tongue. Kevin: Ahhh no. Okay...)


(Ellie's brother Austin... who ever would have thought that Kev would find a girl who's just as close with her sibling as we are :)


(4th of July


(First day of work!)


(Summer Biblestudy with Grace :)


(Jake love)


(Uncle Jeff and his miracle son, Tanner)


(Auntie Linda's Birthday)


(Pete's Coffee = infatuation)


(Nursing School Buddies for Life)



(Riviera Grill date)






(Love of my life. Every bit the person I aspire to be.)


(I decided that if I could swim half mile in the pool without stopping, I'd take on the lake... it wasn't until afterwards that I learned that the lake was a 1.1 mile swim. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done... ha)

Hume.

Hii :) I’m currently sitting in Victory Circle. Yes, I am up at Hume Lake. It truly is my most favorite place in all of the world! With that being said, I have seen many beautiful places in my time (be it on the road trip with Grandpa Eddie last summer or my recent trip to Southern Africa) but I believe that the reason Hume trumps all is because I have accumulated many memories here. Year after year, my family has traveled up here and year after year, God’s made Himself known to me. Be it through solo time on the side of a mountain or through group worship around the fire; God’s presence has been tangible in my life and I so highly associate this place with Him.


(Hume = Magical)

I must admit that this year is different. I am no longer attending camp as a camper, but staying in the cabin with my family and enjoying leisure time together. This morning, Kevin and I hiked from our cabin (Hoover #47) up to the top of the mountain road, which landed us at Joshua Wilderness Lodge – home to Joshua Wilderness Institute 9 out of 12 months of the year. Anyhow, after walking to the top, we decided to take a different way home, to explore a road we had yet to travel on. On our way back, we happened to stumble upon a trailhead  “Oh joy” was my first reaction! I’m pretty sure Kevin’s resembled this: “Oh, please no!” haha



Needless to say, I was insistent that we follow this newly found trailhead to it’s proclaimed final destination: The Little Brown Chapel. Kevin and I hiked UP for half a mile (it gets kind of spooky the more you go up), dodged the gnarly spider webs, beat off the bears (just kidding) and had a grand time adventuring together! When we finally made it to the top, it was not what I was anticipating. It literally was a “Little Brown Chapel.” Likely the size of a small cat carrier, The Little Brown Chapel was a hand carved wonder -- that could have been mistaken for Mountain Barbie’s Baptist Church, complete with pews and a podium. So cute!
I, of course, opened up the tiny little chapel doors only to discover something greater than I could have imagined! Inside were dozens of hand written notes, most resembling journal entries, that told stories of the people who had also discovered this quaint little structure. We read a fair amount of them, laughed at quite a few and left our own signatures behind. It was a grand time I tell you. Even now as I’m reminiscing, I am smiling.



We ran all the way home. I love it here. It feels like some things never change. I love the familiar faces, the wonderful smell of the pines, the fine dirt that gets all over everything (including my computer screen…), the freezing cold water that you swim in anyway because it’s part of the tradition, the morning walks around the lake, the afternoon conversations and the inescapable presence of God that is found in the stillness. How great is our God?


(Inside The Little Brown Chapel)