That's me and Tabea auditioning for the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir 

I love friends!!

I had such a lovely day today. I cut and dyed my mom's hair- that's always good bonding time. Then I ventured off into the city to meet with Sara. Coffee, a table for two, and an hour to catch up on each other's lives... it was so sweet. And being by UIC made me realize how much I miss everyone down there... all my homies. I miss living room chats with Ashley... workout videos with Tabea (oh how I've missed Carmen!!)... pig-out sessions with Sharon... Maxwell runs with Andrey and Pat. If any of you read this, know that you are missed!

Later on in the evening, I went to Noelle's surprise birthday party. And what a surprise it was! Happy Birthday to my dear Mini G!!! Her mom cooked up a storm and we had such good food. Eunice taught us how to properly eat Tamales. Dude, Mircea, your "Boom-hammer" impression KILLS me!! LOL. After a couple hours of Scattergories and then Karoake, my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Oliver tried to pursuade me to sing by telling me that it was practice for East Coast Trip. I wonder, if Buni were there, would he karoake with us? Rob, where were you the whole night? I didn't really get to talk to Noelle (because she was busy socializing with all 30 of her guests) but seeing her gorgeous face was enough to make me happy! Thanks to Esti for making it all work out!

Finals week....

One online quiz down.... two exams and three papers to go!



***** Congratulations to everyone that already finished for the semester! You're free!!!!*****

The top 3 reasons why Portland is almost as cool as Chicago:

3) You never have to pump your own gas! There are attendants at every gas station that do it for you.

2) No sales tax

1) Ema and Art live there :)

Context is everything.

This past week, I came across a verse that stuck with me. It had alot of appeal because I felt like it fit my circumstance. From Mark 6:11 (Jesus' instruction to the disciples before He sent them out) "... And any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust from the soles of your feet..."

In my ignorance, and in my desperation to receive consolation, I skewed the verse to justify my emotions. Sometimes I feel so frustrated when I try to speak truth into my friends' lives and they don't take heed to my advice. It makes me feel completely ineffective as a friend. And I try different methods to get them to see the Biblical perspective. And NOTHING. In one ear and out the other. Why do I let my heart get so burdened by their "struggles" when they don't even care themselves? I saw this verse as a way to release myself from their situations..... from their apathy. I acquired a "good luck on your own, i've done all i can, and now i'm moving on" attitude.

BUT I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT, praise the Lord! My father and I had a discussion on this chapter a couple days later and his insight helped me see the true meaning behind the verse. I had left out the most important part of the verse- "...as you go from there, shake the dust from the soles of your feet for a testimony against them." Jesus was actually making an allusion to the Judgement Day, when nonbelievers will come before God and plead their case. Many will lie and say "but Lord, I never heard the gospel" and some may say "but Lord, that man taught me the wrong gospel" at which point the Lord will call forth trees and stones and YES, even the dust of the ground, to speak and testify against them. Jesus literally meant to leave behind the dust from that place, as a witness of the work they did.

What a large discrepancy between my interpretation and the truth! Remember, CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING! Someone once told me (was it Liviu?) that "if you don't understand the context of the verse, then you're actually not understanding the verse at all."

The Bible is AMAZING!