I thought the issue had been quietly dropped.
I thought it had slunk away.
I thought I had decided it just wasn’t meant to be.
Was I happy about it? I don’t know.
Was I okay with it? I was getting there.
Regardless, it came back last week…
New York.
Oh, hey there.
A friend is moving back to the city and coily suggested I join her as a roommate. I brushed it off, but the city kept poppnig up in various signs and forms. And all of a sudden, the dreams of last year flooded to the surface and starting spilling over into all the tiny crevices of me that had quietly decided no adventure like that is suppose to happen. It was such a small thing – a conversation with a friend – and so much emotion came rushing forth. I think the Lord was telling me, I haven’t forgotten you. I am not finished.
And then, the next day, an email with an excerpt from Becoming Me by Stasi Eldredge (a book I’m currently reading) was shot my way…
Most Americans (80 percent) say they don’t have any dreams, and we can imagine why. Life can suck the dreaming right out of you. The living God wants to pour those dreams back in. Sixteen percent of Americans say they do have dreams, but they don’t write them down. Four percent have dreams and desires, and write them down, but less than 1 percent review and update them on a regular basis.
It is the people who allow themselves to dream, who own their dreams, who write them down and look at them periodically, whose life dreams are coming true.
It’s good to dream. We can’t out-give God. We can’t out-love him, and we can’t out-dream him. Give yourself permission to dream big! Dream deep. Dream wide. Because the thing about dreams is, dreams come true…
Awakening and owning the dreams that God has placed in our hearts isn’t about getting stuff or attaining something. It’s about embracing who we are and who he has created us to be. In him. He is our dream come true, and the one true love of our life. But we can’t love him with our whole hearts when our hearts are asleep. To love Jesus means to risk coming awake, to risk wanting and desiring.
Of this one thing, I am practically certain: there lives within me an overwhelming inclination to go and see. To meet and to listen. To tell and share. There is so much about my life that is a mystery, but I am anchored by what I do know: God is an incredible Father who loves me. And despite all my questions, He continues to fan the flame inside me for Him, for stories and for those He has put in my life. Yes, life is a great mystery, but when I get over the fear of that, when I get past the point that my life matches absolutely no one else’s, I have to admit, it’s all kind of exciting.
Last week, New York woke up inside me. And the thing is, New York, in fact, may not even be the answer. But we can’t miss the big idea: New York stands for something – something beyond this. He has not forgotten us. He is not finished with us.
Last week, Jesus whispered He hasn’t forgotten me. So with that, I’m back to dreaming and I’m back to remembering that His plans are wildly better than even the best of my dreams.
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*Photo by Murray Mitchell
I have not checked in here for a while because I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend :)
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
If you’re still on the fence: grab your favorite earphones, head down to a Best Buy and ask to plug them into a Zune then an iPod and see which one sounds better to you, and which interface makes you smile more. Then you’ll know which is right for you.
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.
Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.
Between me and my husband we’ve owned more MP3 players over the years than I can count, including Sansas, iRivers, iPods (classic & touch), the Ibiza Rhapsody, etc. But, the last few years I’ve settled down to one line of players. Why? Because I was happy to discover how well-designed and fun to use the underappreciated (and widely mocked) Zunes are.
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