One of my favorite artists, JJ Heller, just put out a free album and asked that people put a banner on their blog to get the music out.  Her 2007 album, The Pretty and the Plain, is full of insightful lyrics and her voice simply floats above the beautiful music.  One of my favorite songs is Small:

 

Cardboard cutouts on the floor

People wish that you were more like what they wanted you to be

Eventually they won't have much of you at all in their theology

The walls are closing in on you

You cannot be contained at all

I don't want to make you small

I don't want to fit you in my pocket

A cross around my throat

You are brighter than the sun

You're closer than the tiny thoughts I have of you

But I could never fathom you at all

Broken moldings all around

Broken people hit the ground

When they discover that you're not here for our benefit

You love in spite of us

In other news, I definitely feel like I'm still trying to find a balance in terms of class/ reading for class/ babysitting/ hanging out/ doing life.  There are thousands of pages of reading assigned to us between now and Christmas, and its just not possible to really do it all.  I'm thinking about doing my School of Psych concentration in skimming.

 I officially got the job at Restoration Hardware!  It really is amazing that I got it, considering the state of the economy coupled with the fact that I've never had any retail experience.  So I start next Monday... can't wait to see how I'm going to manage an extra 15 hours of work into my week.  I'm not stressed about it, I really am claiming the deep and abiding peace we find in Christ... but you know. It'll just be interesting to see how it happens.

I really, really love my new church here, Oasis.  They are so passionately pursuing Jesus and intentional about doing church... and doing life... with a missional/ social justice perspective for this community.  I found a small group to join that will meet Monday nights and seek to serve the Latino area... yea. So I'm pumped. I'll let you know how it goes.