It is great to become formally trained in argument method and fallacies, helping to map out arguments in order to see which reasons lead to which conclusions, as well as pointing out faulty reasoning. However, in everyday conversations faulty reasoning abounds, but no one cares to have their argument mapped out for them. I find myself getting so flustered as people lose their patience with me as I try to point out their fallacies or inconsistencies. Its as if they are sticking their fingers in their ears and chanting "I can't hear you I'm right you're wrong."

I engaged with a co-worker today on the issue of abortion. I had Francis Beckwith's Definding Life sitting on my desk and he inquired. I made a reasoned argument for my position and he made an emotional fallacious "argument", yet I was the one left on the verge of tears for being accused of all the awful things that pro-lifers are accused of.

For reasons like this I find myself wanting more and more to only seriously engage with academics. Individual arguments are complex and often a comprehensive set of arguments are needed. If we are going to commit ourselves to truth, it requires patience, focus, and stamina.

I recently taught a couple courses for the Gordon Lewis Center , and I commended three strategies to my students before we ever began, two of them I think are appropriate here:

1) Acknowledge Presuppositions

2) Follow the truth where it leads

I would hope that we can strive, in every day conversation, to justify our presuppositions (rather than arguing from them), humbly accept the conclusions of arguments even if it means we have to change our minds.

The Summit @ ACC

Let's join together and cover this outreach with Prayer.

 

Last summer I got to know a fellow student after he asked if he could use an apologetic curricculum I had recently written. As this semester started, we realized we were in the same Formation Group I learned that his church South Fellowship was supporting him in reaching out to the Community College across the street. I was so excited when Brandon asked me to be a part of this outreach, though we did not know the capacity yet in which I would serve.

 

Brandon's team received about 200 questions which will serve as the discussion topics. We brainstormed the best way to organize the questions, fascilitate the discussion, and teach on the truth regarding each one. Personally, it was such a blessing to tangibly see how my apologetics education is already being used. It is also encouraging to see ministries like this spring up that are welcoming to doubts and questions regarding Christianity. Oh that it may be used for His glory!

in the morning...

I'm 3 days into the 15-week semester and I already feel the breakdown coming. With a full time job and 16 hours of graduate classes, I'm in for it. I'll be honest, I was kinda sorta hoping that the break would be the time to deal with heartache and come back joyful, refreshed, and ready to take on the spring.

I was thinking today while driving, which is where I do most of my processing (yes - sometimes audibly), and I imagined someone going up to me to ask me how I was doing, to which I would respond with a soft smile: "I'm doing great - life is hard but God is good and I'm really experiencing his presence" and continuing to calmly engage with this hypothetical person. The fact is though, this just is not the case. Rather than a smile I'd probably give an eye roll and a sarcastic smirk, I would fumble over my words because I'm to anxious recently to do anything but babble, and then I would admit that I know that God is good and I know that God is there, but it's been a few days since I've experienced his presence.

I asked in a previous post what it meant for a Christian to walk through the "valleys" of life. I've found myself on my knees begging for that exact answer and I read through the Psalms:

"Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled (6:2). I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief (6:6-7). I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death (22:14-15). But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! (22:19). Redeem me and be merciful to me (26:11b). Do not hid your face from me (27:9)."

and then I read...

"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning (30:5)."

I can't help but wonder, when is the "morning?" How long O Lord?

Anybody that knows me remotely well is familiar with my constant struggle with anxiety. Usually a good night sleep will do the trick, but this week I have found my mornings to be characterized by a racing heart and racing thoughts. Lord give me rest. So much for joy this morning, but maybe tomorrow. This, too, shall pass.

Patience is a funny thing. Waiting. Time - the one thing we can't even kinda sorta control. Lack of control is what compels us to trust, and in God's sovereignty is where we place that trust. Hind-sight is 20-20 and it is usually from this vantage point that we affirm God's sovereignty, but what about hope? The hope that God is being sovereign NOW and we will be better able to see it in hind-sight perhaps? In Romans 8:24-25 we read that "hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

Patience. Trust. Hope.

Feebly taking Paul's life-giving words to the church in Corinth to heart as I pray to grasp the perspective that he offers.

"Therefore we do not lost heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:15-17.

"Lift My Life Up"

The first thing I think of when I read this title is my homeschooling mom telling me not to end a sentence in a preposition. C'mon Unspoken.

I was listening to this song this morning, and for the first time actually heard the words.

I'm giving You control

I lift my life up

I give it all in surrender

I lift my heart up

You can have it forever

All my dreams, all my plans

Lord I leave it in Your hands

Have Your way in me

Take my life and let it be all for You

This break from school has been a constant battle with dying to myself. Not that I didn't struggle with it before, but now I have enough free time to reflect.

{I would think of myself as a reflective person, but most of the time I simply have an epiphany about the disfunction in my life, high-five myself for having this epiphany, then move on: I never do work on the actual disfunction. Why would I when I can simply push the accountability out of my life, busy myself, go to bed early, and sleep late. School will start, then I won't have any time to think about it at all. This is my sad little unconsious plan to never have to really look in the mirror of my heart.}

With that said, this plan in no longer unconsious (obviously, I'm writing about it). It's staring me in the face: the uncomfortable pruning knife from the Father that I know is the only way to experience His peace, if I could only take that first step. Is this growing experience a direct manifestation of God's Grace? Is the Holy Spirit allowing me to be anxious and uncomfortable as a way to draw me back to Himself? (Hint: yes).

These lyrics are my prayer, sometimes prefaced with the prayer "God change my heart to make this my prayer."

Join me in this prayer?

My life is the definition of manic-deppressant

I'll admit it, I have a bit of a depressing personality: no I do not depress people with my personality (at least I hope not), but rather I am prone to depression. I take preventative measures in order to not spiral down into it, but sometimes circumstances in life make it all the more difficult and all I want to do is sleep late and go to bed early. I know I need fellowship, but I don't want to put on a happy face, nor do I want to explain what's going on, so I push everybody out of my life. Thus the spiral begins...

The last two days, however, I woke up without pushing the snooze button even once (gasp). I jumped in the shower and hopped in my new wheels read to attack the day. I sent this text to my family, who responded with flabergastion.

 

 

I remember going through a hard time in high school, and my young life leader encouraged me that the Christian life is not about always being on the "spiritual high," but rather God gives us those times as a refresher and a means to get through those "spiritual valley" times. I know this is true, and trust me it's not that I want to be manic all the time because I annoyed even myself yesterday when I couldn't seem to sit still. Makes me wonder, how would God want to see me handling those "valley" times? How are we suppossed to move foward through these times as Christians?

 

 

(New wheels)

 

A 14-year Old Question, Answered.

Background information:

When I was in middle school, I attended a private school that invited a Christian apologist to speak in chapel every year. Afterwards, the speaker (I cannot remember his name) would visit each class and answer questions for an hour or so. I remember being in 6th grade, and monopolizing the hour my class  was given, by asking one question. The answer this apologist gave me, he said (after an hour), reduced to: "Why did God decide to put 24 hours in a day." Hm, I do not specifically remember my question, but am pretty sure it was not that.

{I recalled this story to a classmate of mine, who remarked that I must be a philosopher at heart if I had these questions at such a young age. So many warm fuzzies swelled within this this "words of affirmation" sucker. My other love language is when people leave comments and/or follow my blog}

*****

In my Advanced Apologetics class, we are discussing (among other things) truth, the ontological argument, and the kalam cosmological argument. Chad Ellison presented a thoughtful and articulate paper on logic today, which spurred some helpful discussion. The discussion was paused for the scheduled topic of discussion, but we resumed the discussion after class for an hour or so. 

Interesting points were brought to mind while listening to Chad's paper. Four views on the ontological status of logic were presented, but I want to highlight two of them (copied from Chad's outline:

     1) Logic exists by the necessity of its own nature (that is, logic exists independently of God)

     2) Logic exists as part of God's nature. That is, it is grounded in the nature of God. God is logical by His own nature just as God is good by His own nature. 

*Point 2 alludes to this, but I will be referencing both logic and morals to express the same point. 

Something I have wrestled with, and may have alluded to in my previous posts, is how to reconcile logic/morals and the character of God. 1- Is God "under" the law of logic and the moral law? And 2- If He is not, does that mean that he arbitrarily decides what is logical and what is moral? I have been advised that this proposes a false dichotomy, and that rather theism asserts a 3rd option: morality and logic are found within the very character of God.

It was pointed out to me, that I am getting caught up on the concept of the "logical necessity of God." As an apologetics student I am expected to make an argument for the existence of God all the time, so this dilemma was bound to pop up at some point, thankfully sooner than later. 

God is shown as a logical necessity through the ontological argument. I have penned some thoughts on this recently, but hopefully I can expand on those. The Kalam cosmological argument, asserts: 

     1 - Whatever begins to exist has a cause of its existence.

     2 - The universe began to exist. 

     3 - Therefore the universe has a cause.

     4 - The best explanation for this cause is God.

A initial observation, is that without an uncaused cause, we end up with an infinite regress. Therefore, the cause must be eternal. William Lane Craig makes a helpful distinction here between potential infinites and actual infinites (See his essay "The Kalam Cosmological Argument" in Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Sources). Now don't get me wrong, I love math. I also have not studied math in eight years, nor did my studies ever go this deep. Let's just take the brilliant philosophers/logicians/mathematicians word for it: that it is impossible to traverse an actual infinite. If things have existed in eternity past, it is impossible to ever arrive at the present.

First, before you label me a heretic, thinking that I am implying God is not eternal, let me bring up another concept: time. Though our perspective is from within time, let me commend the idea to you that God created time. Therefore, prior (if that word is even appropriate) to creation, God's existence was not chronological in the way we exist; this eliminates the problem of traversing an actual infinite. 

Second, and drawing off of the above comments, because God's existence is uncaused he is necessarily personal, for how could an impersonal being will to do anything, much less creation ex nihilo?  (This was a hugh breakthrough for me, I alluded to my struggle with believing God was personal in a previous post.) 

Let me make one crucial point here, and it is a point Chad commended to me in our post-lecture discussion: logical priority does not entail chronological priority. This is where it clicked for me with the concept of logic and morals: morals/logic and the character of God are mutually reinforcing, one does not have to come before the other. They simply (ha) simultaneously exist and affirm each other. 

Back to 6th grade Molly...

I was thinking about the answer I was given 14 years ago, and remembered my question was in regards to how/why God sat around for billions and billions of years and then decide to create the earth, and the visiting apologist tried to answer that it was not in fact billions and billions of years because time did not yet exist. He then must have assumed my question was why God created time and decided to put 24 hours in a day (or something like that, I don't know how he went there). I am encouraged though that 1 - God had been preparing me for this very season of life at such a young age and 2 - that we should never look down on those we consider young (1 Timothy 4:12), even the dorky ones who monopolize the conversations with guest speakers. 

As of late

Balancing work, school, and what is left of a social life, the blog as finally ended its sabbatical.

Below are 6 papers that have been submitted within the last year. I am aware my sources are not being listed properly, but I do have them should anyone desire to verify or read for additional research. I by no means want to portray plagiarism, or to not respect original authors through giving credit.

In addition to the papers, a simple update;

Classes in Religious Pluralism, Advanced Apologetics, and Theology are currently informing my life, both academically and spiritually. I am being challenged in ways different from every before, as this semester has thus far presented itself quite differently. Honestly, the past year has not been that demanding besides the occasional stress that is alleviated in a day or two. I keep telling myself that these current hardships are making this part of my life more meaningful, because "if it was easy, everyone would do it," right?

These past few months have been characterized by sleepless nights and lots of tears. The pun-reference to Seminary being like a Cemetery for the faith has sadly been personally accurate as of late. As I focus so much on the immutability and goodness of God, I have not rested in His personal nature, and have come to regard him as a Cosmic Brain of which I am becoming an expert. I have been challenged to recognize and deal with this through my Spiritual Formation process. (Through all of this I have actually come to view that class in much less of a cynical attitude. Point for honesty?)

With the hardships this season of life is presenting, I have found myself crying out to the Lord to show me that He is personal. Prayer and thoughtful time spent in Proverbs has been the only source of strength or peace I have received, and this keeps me going back for more.

I am supposed to be thankful for what brings me closer to the Lord, right? I know the Sunday School answer is to focus on His perfect desires and not my immediate selfish desires, but this shift of perspective will require nothing short of a miracle. I am weak.  

Break Time

First semester done. Forgot what this feel like to have a 6 week break to relax, make snow angels, ski, sled, and not actually do any of that but work full time. Soo thankful for a job opportunity with the Development Center at The Vail Church, where I interned this summer.

Have been able to spend some time with this chica

and make some yummy treats

and spend some time with this wonderful bday boy

and even got to have a date night with myself. 

it's been a magical break.

Off to Texas tomorrow, see y'all soon.

Christian Apologetics

My books for the Fall arrived yesterday! After a wonderful lunch meeting last Monday with Dr. Groothuis, and then a great webinar this past Wednesday, I had to jump into Christian Aplogetics the minute I got it. Yes, the actual minute I got it I started reading it. 

Taking suggestion from Moreland, I have started making a list of all the words I don't know. Debra and Chels, aren't yall proud?!

Have loved the first chapters, specifically on the parts referring to apologetics and evangelism. I would quote what stood out to me, but I would literally copy everything I had read so far. 

In the young adults group last night, we were talking about our Biblical heroes, and I confessed Paul was mine. I got a little excited speaking about his example in evangelism, and my new friend simply said, "Oh so you have the gift of evangelism?"

{insert blank stare}

I have been blogging about this, talking with my mom about this, reading about this, and honestly fearing about not doing it well. I am so passionate about this, but as I start to really flesh it out, I find myself gripped with insecurity. How many different ways can I learn the same lesson? God is gracious and all powerful. I am weak and (continually) humbled. When I am weak, He is strong...right? I need to believe this right now. God help my unbelief. 

Reconciling Jeremiah with David

"Then I said, 'I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.'  

But His word was in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones;

I was weary of holding it back, And I could not."

Jeremiah 20:9 

I so often feel like Jeremiah, in that I could not hold back His word, even if I so wanted. Two sides playing into this, one being my passion and Joy in the Lord, and the other being the reality of sin and seeing its affects (not 'effects', right?) on people. 

1 - I am experiencing God's goodness and freedom, how can I keep this to myself?

2 - How can I sit back and watch others go down this path?

Below is a video with insight, even from an atheist: "How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"

Taking this to heart, I trudge forward in evangelism. Encouraged and passionate by day, discouraged and debilitated by night.

Somewhere along the way, I take a inappropriate burden upon myself. Rather than my ministry being an overflow of the joy and forgiveness I am receiving from the Lord, I have begun to bypass my relationship with the Lord (and my sense of Peace/Hope) and am swimming around in this reality of sin - frantic to save everyone I can. I find myself confused over verse that tell us to not "cast your pearls before swine" and that "the message of the Cross if foolishness to those who are perishing"

You see idolatry can be a sneaky thing. Even if the best motives are not kept in check, we can begin worshipping the very thing we are fighting, by granting it more power over us than we do the Lord.

There is one SMALL point that needs to be made, what does God say? Really, I am asking, please tell me.

This brings me to David. David was said to be a man after God's own heart, until he took something which was not given to him by God. Am I doing this with nonbelievers whom the Lord has not entrusted to me specifically? [Now I havn't taken my Biblical Interpretation class, (though I did get my text book in the mail today -woohoo) but I did have a Pastor give me this application, as he was subtly calling me out, so that means it's right.]

In Matthew 10:14, Christ tells us to shake the dust off our feet when departing from those who will not receive nor hear our words.

{insert wisdom and application for this verse}

As I write this, I can't help but realize I have written many posts over the last couple months regarding the believer's role in evangelism. I think God's trying to teach me something...

Goodbyes

Got to squeeze in about 8 hours trip to Dallas to see Gracie Lou!

Shared a cheese plate with wine while watching the Rangers Game at Bolsa in the Bishop Arts District.

Aaaand this is where I lost her: candy section of Central Market.

Celebrations at restaurants = free cake.

Also, when you have a fantastic waiter, equals recomendations for restaurants to name drop.

The goodbyes are getting harder, as it becomes real that I am moving, not just going away for the Summer. Am I as confident as I think I am?

"for the LORD will be your confidence"

Provers 3:26

More Like Falling in Love

Give me rules
I will break them
Give me lines
I will cross them

I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes

Give me words
I'll misuse them
Obligations
I'll misplace them 

'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet

It never set me free
It's gotta be

More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance

In more than a name, a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me

Love these lyrics from Jason Gray's song More Like Falling in Love.

We all have (some more than others) rolled our eyes when listening to the Christian radio staion, it can be a little cheesy. The other day I was driving (what I do when I'm restless but have a semi-broken toe so can't run: i.e. don't feel like running), and was really paying attention to these words.

I had just had a conversation with someone, which honestly broke my heart. This idea that people view Christianity as a check list of "ought tos" and not a relationship with Jesus. They see a bunch of tests from God, rather then Him revealing His best intentions for us.

Love that last line, "falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me".

This is such a challenge I find myself facing, conveying that the change inside of me is not the result of rules. We need to be calling others to fall in love with Jesus, and to not be preaching a religion that simply exposes sinners and leaves them with  "a stone tied to their feet".

encouraged and discouraged

Pondering recent conversations on reasoning (which I am usuing reasoning to speak my point), I sit here staring at the ceiling not knowing if I'm enouraged or discouraged.

Encouraged, because I see the need for reasoning and I'm going to school to become equipped in this, but discouraged because I think, "what's the point"? We are told to not cast our pearl's before swine, and that "fertile soil" must exist before the seed is thrown. Heart change is completely out of our control, and reasoning (in the conext of the gospel) is considering foolishness to those who are perishing. 

I think of 2 Corinthians 10:5

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Here's to taking every though captive for the sake of obedience to His comandments. Specifically thinking about evangelism and looking to Paul's example in reasoning with non-believers in Acts 17 & 18.

Au Revior, Baby Seal, Don't Talk to Sharks.

My precious girls got me a beautiful necklace and earings! Love them so much and already feel like I am leaving a chunk of my heart behind in Austin.

We had a simple come-and-go goodbye on the Whole Foods roof, so happy so many people were able to come out! I am truely blessed by such great fellowship in Austin!

I had a tough time explaining the seal joke, not because my words failed me, but because I heard myself saying something like this...

"Well, you know, we all have our baby animal aliases"

"Huh?"

Baby deer, bear, giraffe, koala, fox, otter, puma, polar bear, owl. You will be missed.

Cousins.

Going to miss her big time. Like BIG time, my heart already aches.

Hey Soul Sista

Harris gang! This family has such a sweet place in my heart!

Tyler representing.

Debra, my sister, and I have branched out from Tyler's Philosophy Club and created our own in Austin! Her counsil and friendship has been such a blessing, especially in the context of the recent decision to go to Seminary! 

Cousins!

I love so much that my roomates know all my family from the past couple Thanksgivings, and that though I am moving, they will still be included in our family tradition!

Love the candids.

It is so nice to have Aunt and Uncles so close, that have been to generous and hospitable over the years!

Twin, Kram, cutest baby ever, Taylor aka kindred spirit.  

Favorites.

Smiles.

Rikki!

Running in Place

With the fastest timeline ever for applying, considering, getting accepted, finding a subleaser, quitting the job, finding a place to live, finding a part time job and packing, I now have two weeks left and feel as though I am running in place. All that's left is mental preparation, prayer-prayer-prayer, and those hard good-byes.

Right now I feel like I channeling that mental energy towards figuring out how to accept the reality that I will fall out of touch with some, while remaining hopefull that those sweet relationships will continue to grow.

I think the answer is Gchat.

Hoping everyone makes it out for a simple come-and-go on the Whole Foods roof from 6-8 this Thursday!

Isaiah 30

For Bible Study last week, we talked through Isaiah 30. I had originally prepared to focus on verses 18-21, but it was during the study that our attention actually went to the last verse of this paragraph, verse 22.

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,

and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

For the Lord is a God of justice;

blessed are all those who wait for him. (v18)

"For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. he will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hid himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. (vs 19-21)

"The you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, "Be gone!" (22)

I have found comfort in verses 19-20 many times, I have a sticky note at my desk to remind me and help me memorize them :)

Verse 21 has recently become applicable to me as I seek direction regaring Seminary.

I had focused to much on how God responds to us in comfort and guidance, that I had not noticed that we say to those idols, "Be gone!"

In our Bible Study, we started chatted about idols are not only physical images, and referred to the idol series we recently went through with out Church. Idols can be grouped into the categories of: Power, Control, Comfort, Approval, Security, and Pleasure.

I was laughing, because slowly but surely, God is using the opportunity before me to say "Be Gone!" to these idols. I have not control over my acceptance. I have no control over a subleaser. I have no power to make someone give me a job or a place to stay. I am leaving the comfort of my cute house and all my stuff. I am having to let go of approval, while balancing a proper respect for the opinions of my Spiritual mentors. I do not have the security of a full proof plan to the day I graduate. Pleasure, well I havn't really figured out that one yet...



Easter

Easter egg hunting is the BEST

So Proud

Doin it right

Finished Product

Easter so significant to what our Faith is all about. Jesus came to die for us, and to be raised to never die again. He conquered sin and death, and this is our Hope. Greater Love hath none than this, that he lay down his life (John 15:13). Christ has done what only He could do. Because of His Holiness, it had to be done, and because of His perfectness, only he could do it. Christ is risen! And we look to the author and perfector of our Faith (Hebrews 12:2) as we do this thing called life, that we might be the aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15).

Paul tells us to follow his example as he follows Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Oh that we might live a life that others can follow our example as we follow Christ, and praise God for those divine relationship to whom we follow as an example.

KaGraMo

Ah, the Gap Kids and Abercrombie years. Looks like the Youth room in our Chruch?

I'm guessing Pine Cove? Middle school judging by Kathleen's height and my hair? Also, this was clearly my favorite shirt.

 Grace entertaining herself by offering Harry Potter Jelly Beans.

 "Here, want a jelly bean?

Seriously try one!

{giggle}

No seriously they're fine

They're really good!

Here, try one!

{giggle}

Just one, eat it!"

  Unfortunately we didn't capture this in highschool, but as we've all discovered, we actually havn't changed that much :)

This weekend felt like we were in highschool again: staying at the parents house, zero cooking, sleeping late, sunning, late night convos laughing until we hurt...

I do not know what I would do without these ladies.

In the world but not of the world

A few years ago, my wonderful mother was convicted to glorify God with her mind, not only her heart soul and strength (Matthew 22:37) I discovered a love for reading and learning as she passed books/studies/ideas along to me, while at the same time discovering many questions.

The questions came from unproven ideas I had always accepted as Truth. In hindsight, I thank God for the Peace that I had, keeping these issues from compromising my Faith. However, I knew the argument of "Jesus told me in my heart" could only go so far when pointing others to Truth.

"We must live both piously and competently" says Jeff Ventrella of the Alliance Defense Fund. We are not called to argue, are not to expect others to put their Faith in the Lord based solely on appologetics. However, as 2 Timothy 2:22-26 [which is completely rocking my world right now] points out, we are to humble correct those in opposition, so that they may know they truth. God is the one granting repentance to them.

As Jeff says, "we can give enough apologetics to clear the path, then get back to the Gospel."

All I want for Christmas, is YOUUU!

"We're in Austin" was his excuse to take this picture. He buttoned his top button, tilted his glasses, and my headband was fasioned appropriately.

Add one hipster mustache, a confused older brother...

...Some Pearls and a Christmas Sweater

and you have a Moody family. Sprinkle a tidied oneski to which my father says "look how long your legs are not," and you have a weekend family getaway.

I have the best roomates in the world, because just when I though my weekend couldn't get any better, I came home to this.

Yea, they're pretty fantastic. If you want a piece of this, just come over this Friday.

Continuing in the Holiday Spirit of togetherness, we got dressed up and headed to my company Christmas Party (aka my personal party because I got all the guys who didn't have dates to invite all my friends, sorry I'm not sorry)

We ate some Rudy's and Juleen's cakeballs, and sat out on the Patio by Peche and listened/danced to some Memphis Train Revue .

MAK house representing, I love these ladies. And they're pretty cute and kinda single.

And then this happened.

The End.