I love these guys… and now they have a Christmas alb!

{ thank you Mikey for keeping me In with all things music… }

Season of Fur

With eager dedication to her quest, Ashley pronounced one Saturday a commitment to seeking a fur coat for 75 cents at the thrift. With an added ounce of fortitude in the wee hours of the morning, she returned with nothing less than one mink coat, which she gracefully whisked off the Salvation Army rack for a grand total of... 75 cents. And because it was August, we displayed this model of Ash's obvious spiritual gifting on the hallway coat rack to welcome all Lily guests. 

Sometimes Ashley loses Odds Games and has to wear her fur to church...

It was no less than one week later when Ashley decided to put her fortuitous thrifting to work once again, as she escaped the Lily in light of searching for yet another 75 cent fur. Convinced the previous fur find was an act of coincidental grace in the life of Ash, I used all motivational strategies to dissuade her from the impending disappointment looming over an unfulfilled mission. It was to her benefit that she ignored such nonsense advice, because two hours later Ashley returned with yet another fur… for 75 cents. 

As noted last weekend:
There's a reason people [and animals] wear these things.
Turns out, they are really really really warm.

Our coat rack now greets Lily newcomers with a frivolous display of two real furs, while the secret of thriftiness is hushed with an intended air of fanciness. 

Memories of our very first Lily Christmas linger in mind: taped-together burlap stockings adorning artwork that was garbage-picked from our alley, which hung beside the free craigs-listed couch… Christmas 2011 with Betsy set the tone for the true culture of Lily Life. Three years after that first Christmas in the Lily, I am reminded via the medium Fur of what it means to live in our home. Amidst the interchange of both seasonal and permanent guests, parties and conversations and life lived with roommates new and old, these two furs represent the common ground that unites all who have experienced the in's & out's of Lily Life. In the absence of in-unit laundry or a garbage disposal, the lack of a dishwasher or more than one bathroom, it is clear that our apartment is far from fancy… yet this is not something we simply put up with, rather is the defining factor of what we love most about our home.

our furs found friends.

So although there has been talk of converting the furs into decorative pillows or perhaps winter blankets; we've toyed with the idea of selling the furs for flights to Paris or Rome, and laugh about using them to hang as interactive art on a wall… I know deep down these furs will forever remain exactly what they are: a commitment to Lily Life past & present, making memories as roommates in Chicago in our 20's, and perhaps an attempt to feel a hint of fanciness amidst the reality of our graduate-student/career-searching/penny-pinching lives. 

Fur makes for a Halloween costume as- Margot from the Royal Tenenbaums
… the shoulder pads have since been removed.

Someday, we might live in apartments with granite kitchen counters and evenly-aligned door frames; we might have doorknobs that open doors when turned and walls without cracks or holes, but for now I am content knowing this is exactly who we are... 75 cent fur coats and all.

The Few Great Things

"You don't have to know a lot of things for your life to make a lasting difference in the world. But you do have to know the few great things that matter, perhaps just one, and then be willing to live for them and die for them. The people that make a durable difference in the world are not the people who have mastered many things, but who have been mastered by one great thing."

:: John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life

Lily Home.

In only a few short days I will be finished with my first semester of graduate school. And though I'm in the wake of finals, confronted with the pressure of reviewing material and feeling the never-ending strain of papers to be written, I am thankful. While it seems that one goes to graduate school to attain knowledge for cognitive growth, here at Wheaton College I find it to be more than a degree that leads to a career; more than a means to an end. This season is dedicated to formation, not destination. It is here that I am learning to submit my life to costly grace, to articulate my theological views, to wholeheartedly pursue my passion, to see the Image of God in all people, to let my philosophy of ministry guide my life, to live and die for He who is bigger than myself. It is acquiring knowledge of Him that transforms my love for Him; it is holistic growth that encapsulates all that I am and all I want to be. He called me here to see more of Him, to learn what I am created for, to rest, to let that which I know and speak be that which I live. Not to know many things, but to let my life be mastered by the One Great Thing.

Christ: the Light of the World, the baby we celebrate this season who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Christ who came to earth to be our Savior, to point us to the Father, to proclaim the grace, joy, and peace for all nations.

Rush & Wheaton. Grad life is better when done together.

Even now, as I hunker down in the library covered by books, a research paper only 1/8 finished, and the frenzy that comes with running off to my first final, I am in awe of God. He brought me here to give me this gift. The gift of seeing Him more clearly in Scripture, be mentored by professors, and to mold me in compassion and love for his people. 

This is His work. How privileged I am to join Him here.

Snowy days, alley days. Finals, I'm comin for you.

Golden Hour

One of the highlights of being a student this year is knowing that I am writing and library-ing and researching and theologizing alongside my little brother, Mikey, as he studies at Denver Seminary. Together, we seize any opportunity to nerd out over original sin, orthodox doctrines, and on which branch of the conservative/liberal spectrum we fall. Mikey encourages me to dig into Scripture for Truth, to represent Jesus with authenticity, and to regularly revisit the glory and beauty of the gospel message. Don't you just want to join his church someday??! I do :)

But what I love most about my brother is that in addition to his exploration of Jesus through intellect, he has the most adventurous, creative, fun-loving, goofy spirit I know. On any given day, I'll receive study break texts with songs or quotes or vids to watch, and his Instagram is filled with camping, biking, and video excursions. He lives for making memories, whether in the form of Odds Game dares, drinks at the local bar, or just hanging and watching marathons of Friends.

Over Thanksgiving Break, whilst sitting at the table together studiously focusing on papers and sermons, the most beautiful golden hour streamed in through our kitchen window. So it only makes sense that Mikey and I ditched all things Grad Life to go play in the sunlight as we revisited our childhood streets. We used Mikey's Canon T3i to capture the good ol' life in the burbs with our matching high buns amidst backyards of pine forests & willows.

 

{images edited in LightRoom}