Prayer

In a discussion about prayer today someone brought up the fact that people are driven to prayer and to God when they are most desparate. Here in Ventura and in much of the United States too many of us see our selves as self sufficient. Too many of us are lulled by the comfort of our surroundings. As I watched the news about approaching hurricane Katrina tonight I saw people in desparation. In fact watching CNN in the course of about 2 hours I heard 3 people including the governer of Louisianna ask live on CNN for prayer. I don't want to see mass destruction or death. I don't want to see broken people, and shattered lives, but when we are weak he is made strong. When I pray for the people affected by Katrina. I pray that the Lord will lead them to him in their weakest moment.

Moving on out

Its time to move out of my apartment in Ventura. My professional goal these last three years has been to work toward getting an internship with National Geographic Magazine. Portfolios are (at least last year) are due on Jan. 31. That gives me just about two school sessions or about 4 months to put together a portfolio I'm proud of. I've got 3 photo projects I want to shoot in depth in the next four months one of wich I've been dieing to shoot since I was 16 years old so you can imagine how excited I am to finally go and do it! I'll be traveling soon but I'll try and keep you all in touch here on my blog.

This comes at a time when I need to break out of my comfort zone. This apartment I have in Ventura is keeping me down because I've settled in. Painting the walls a color I love, hanging photographs that inspire me, and filling a bookshelves with books I've yet to read. All those things mean I'm no longer a nomad. My wordly posessions no longer fit into airplane regulation luggage. Its such a danger to feel at home here because I very well could build a home here and never live the life I was meant for. Oh that complacency he's sneaky fellow. He snuck up on me and now I have friends in Ventura, a church family I love, a cat, a tv, magazine subscriptions and the kind of couch you just sink into when you sit on it. But its time to get off my couch and realize my dreams.

God has mysterious timing. Just an hour ago I was sitting on the couch and I said to my roomate Lauren I think I'm definately going to move out in the beginning of September. She seemed a bit worried because until that point we hadn't made any definate plans, and she was still toying with the idea of looking for an apartment in Santa Barbara, when our living room ceiling started raining on us again for the 3rd time since we've lived in our Ventura apt. Our lovely neighbors upstairs apparently haven't learned from their previous do it yourself plumbing projects. As we placed a bucket under the trickle in our living room Lauren agreed, yes, it is time to move.