End of August 2011 Update

It would sound charming for me to say that I am writing this at my favorite cozy coffee shop with a perfectly crafted cappuccino from Compass or Paper Tiger. Plus, that is where people expect me to be. But what’s the fun in fulfilling people’s stereotypes and expectations of you? Okay, so maybe if I am honest I would say I do wish I was writing in my favorite coffee shop. The truth however is that I am in a loud, chaotic, my hometowns very own children’s dream land…Kids Club.

Oh yes, I can barely hear myself think over the little two year old girl in a flowery pink shirt and pig tails crying because her mother said it is time to go. Or the constant interruption every 10 minutes from my own little bundles of energy racing over to tell me some story in super sonic speed that I cannot follow at all—since they both are talking at the same time. I smile and nod my head enthusiastically and pretend that I understand every word and when they finally stop talking tell them “oohhh…that sounds like too much fun.” This is my default response to long stories from Luke and Jack, my three and eight year old boys I am watching this summer. 

Kids Club is a child’s dream a massive jungle gym equipped with plastic ball pool and cannons, big spiral slides, an indoor pool with its own water slide, a gym with a foam pit and other stuff for kids taking gymnastic classes, and a tiny food shack filled with all the garbage food that kids love but has absolutely no nutritious value. This is only the second time I have taken my boys here all summer. To say they are excited is an understatement. They know that Miss Heidi is not too fond of Kids Club. They know that a drum starts to pound really loud inside her head and she has to take two of these small red pills that make the pain go away (Ibuprofen) and then make a stop at Peets for coffee.

I am ranting on about this because I just finished Blue like Jazz today. Mr. Don Miller is a brilliant writer and thinker. I am desperately in love with the way he speaks his mind and the way he writes about Jesus. He ends his book thanking all the coffee shops He wrote his book at. As I am hear writing away I am imagining myself at one of the coffee shops he wrote about; Common Ground. I have always wanted to go to that coffee shop the one onHawthorneit just never has worked out for me to go. So as I am typing away in the loud kid zoo, I am pretending I am at Common Ground instead.

Don Miller seems like an authentic person, true to himself, I think I could be friends with Don. If I ever meet him (I only 15 minutes away from Portland) I will just walk up to him and say that I like him. Since apparently he likes to know that people like him. I would also make him buy me coffee because Blue Like Jazz alone sold over a million copies and is a best seller. And I am a young aspiring writer, speaker, and worship leader going to one of the most expensive colleges inWashington. However, I do like Solid Rock better than Imago Dei. And stand firm on my opinion that Compass Coffee is way better Stumptown. But I think we could look past those differences. Simply put, after reading Blue Like Jazz I feel like Don Miller and I are dear friends. It’s one of those types of books; you will have to go read the book to find out for yourself.

(10 hours later)

Well Luke came up to me in the middle of typing away on my laptop (I was on a roll) and demanded that I feed him. By the time he finished lunch, Jack was ready to go home. The next moment of down time I could fine to restart up my laptop and beginning writing again wasn’t until I scooped myself some chocolate ice cream at 12:29am and got cozy in my bed. That is an everyday occurrence of my life as a full time nanny this summer. Early mornings and late nights. I love it though. And after skyping my friend who left for college last week it will help prepare me for college. Every moment of this summer has been perfect, not easy, but worth it. I cannot wait to be a mother someday but I also know that I have a lot of things I want to accomplish before then.

I leave for Seattle Pacific University in 23 days. I cannot wait. I am so ready and feel prepared for this next step, this new season, this next chapter, this new adventure in my life. Only by the grace of God. Tomorrow is my last day hanging out with Jack and Luke all day long. They start school on Wednesday. I cannot believe this day is here already. Time sure does fly by. Now I need to begin the task of cleaning out my room, organizing what I need to take to college, throw away, donate or leave here. I need to make sure all my ducks are in a row with financial aid stuff and print out the list of “Things to Bring”. AND I need to start working on the cute DIY projects to decorate my dorm room. I could keep going on and on but as I sit here tonight…well actually this early morning…I realize there is a lot to do in 23 days. But I will not let myself get stressed or worried. God is good and everything will get done. It always does. God has proved Himself faithful in this area of my life over and over and over again. I want to enjoy this time. To have fun with my friends and family and treasure every moment in my heart because I know it will never be this way again.

Well this is my end of August update! I have been reading through Romans this month and I will leave you with one of my favorite passages…

God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir-not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to God and Father of our Master Jesus ~Romans 15:4-6 MSG

Seven Week Update

It has been SEVEN weeks since I last blogged. Can you say, “Summer job that I love but keeps me from blogging.” Okay, you don’t actually have to say that, but it is why I am behind on blogging. And it is not that I haven’t had anything to say. That has NEVER been a problem for me. There is always so much to share about what God has been teaching me about the adventures this set-apart life has taken me on. I have a whole bunch of blogs written that I need to edit and post. Hopefully, I can get those finished soon.
There are a few other reasons why I haven’t been blogging as much. First, Twitter. Yes, I may have hit an all time low in my life (as some might say) and created a Twitter account. It is easier for me to take two minutes to come up with a sentence about my day or what God is teaching me instead of a five paragraph blog. If you have a Twitter feel free to follow me. @heidi_johnson.

Secondly, I got an iPhone as a graduation present. It is easier for me to use Tumblr on my iPhone and I created a Tumblr account that I have been testing out this July. I really do like it and I am using Tumblr when I have a thought or idea that is too long for Twitter but not long enough for my Blogspot. So now I am going public with the fact that I have a Tumblr. Again if you would like to follow my Tumblr the URL is http://thehallowedadventure.tumblr.com Yes, I switched up the name from Set Apart Adventure to the HALLOWED Adventure. I have been loving on the word hallowed this month. Hallowed means regarded as holy, set apart, sanctified, sacred.

Moving on! The third reason blogging as not been such a big priority lately is I want to WALK my TALK. I don’t just want spend hours talking about how it should look to be on a Set Apart Adventure, I want to actually live it out!! Therefore, it is actually a good thing, when I go seven weeks without blogging because it means that I am too busy living out the Set Apart Adventure to sit down and write about it. However, since I have spent seven weeks without blogging I have SO much to say. So many tips and pointers I have for you all that I had to learn the hard way this summer. So many incredible miracles and beautiful moments that I have witnessed and been apart of  that I want to share to encourage you on your own Set Apart Adventure.

The past seven weeks have been filled with ice cream kisses, long games of baseball in the park, bike riding on zig zag-y trails, listening to tattle telling and ridiculously hard to follow stories that make no sense, constant laughter, screaming at two little” sharks” grabbing my legs in the pool, blowing things up and shooting at things with nerf guns, refereeing wrestling matches, and going to every single park in my hometown for picnics. In other words organized chaos.

My weekday morning routine consist of a early morning wake up call to greet God at my window as He explodes the sky with the perfect blend of colors just to say Good-morning back to me. I put on clothes that I know in a few hours will be covered in boogers, spit, grass stains, and dirt. A half hour later I walk into the best smelling store in the world: Peets. I get my extra hot caramel latte and find a cozy corner and dive into my Bible. I know it is the best way to get wisdom, love, and strength to take on the day. By the time I finish reading from Psalm, Proverbs, and Romans, I am ready to face another day. And every night I go to bed grateful, humbled, and feeling like the luckiest, richest, most loved girl in the world.

God is good. God is love. God is the sound of laughter. God is the fun during playtime. God is the ultimate tickle monster. God delights in bringing joy to His beloved children. God is there to wipe the tears from our face when we fall down. God is there to put a band aid on our “owies”. God is there in our arguments over toys. And God surprises us when He loves and encourages us instead of yelling in anger when we didn’t quite make it to the potty in time…

I have been spending countless hours Nanny-ing this summer and I wouldn't have it any other way. If you couldn't tell by now I am watching over two boys. I usually nanny girls so this is a whole new experience for me. I was worried at first, I love playing with girls: playing house, baking cookies, dress up, makeovers, dancing and singing to Justin Bieber, pretending to be Princesses, and picking flowers at the park. However, I love boys too! They are so much fun in such a different way. I have my fingers cross that I will have boys one day when I’m a mom.

Speaking of being a mom that is one thing I have learned this summer. I am called to be a mom. I know that may seem like an obvious revelation but I truly believe motherhood is a calling. Especially, raising godly children who are in love with Jesus and know how to love others. That is no small task as I have learned this summer trying to teach my boys about Jesus, serving others, and loving the people God puts in our life.

When I get discouraged (which happens a lot) I keep going back to Proverbs 31 where it paints this beautiful and captivating picture of a godly woman, wife, mother, and ministry worker. Even though I have read this passage of scripture hundreds of times, I am always inspired and convicted by this Proverbs 31 woman. I recently read "The Lost Art of True Beauty" by Leslie Ludy and she wrote this about the Proverbs 31 passage...

"A Proverbs 31 woman--She lives a miraculous, superhuman, victorious, amazing fulfilling, poured out life. She is stunningly beautiful, dignified and strong, stronger than every other woman around her. She is the living testimony of God's beauty, power, and love. "

I have been praying Proverbs 31 over my life. Praying that the Holy Spirit would start molding me, transforming me, and changing me into the greatest example of a Proverbs 31 woman the world has ever seen. And this is no simple prayer. Throughout history, there have been many incredible women who were pictures of a Proverbs 31 woman. But this is the desire of my heart. I know that I could never do this on my own strength—only by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit working within me. This will be a process that will take my whole life. But I am willing! Oh am I willing to be used.

"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy...She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Her children call her blessed; her husband also praises her. Many women do noble things, but your surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised." ~ Proverbs 31: 20; 25-26; 28-30 (just a few of my favorite verses from that passage)

As you can see there is LOTS going on in my life. I haven’t even begun to talk about the process of preparing to move to Seattle in the fall. That is a blog post in itself. I hope you all are having a lovely summer.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law ~Galatians 5:22-23

Praying that the Holy Spirit would crash into us. That all the fruits of the Spirit would burn deeply in our hearts.

Love & Blessings,

Heidi