I've Made a Mess of Me

Check out the new single "Mess of Me" from Switchfoot

Romans 7:14-30 (New Living Translation)

Struggling with Sin

¹⁴ So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. ¹⁶ But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

¹⁸ And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. ¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. ²⁰ But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. ²² I love God’s law with all my heart. ²³ But there is another power^b]">] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. ²⁴ Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Dreaded Weekend

This past January, with the help of 2 generous friends, I dreaded my hair. The process took about 7 hours, over two days. I loved the outcome! I had all new possibilities for styling and looks. the only goal was to do something different with my hair, that didn't involve cutting it short.

Here I am having my hair done back in January.

I had no plan for how long I would keep my dreads. I simply said "until I get bored." Well I got bored. It was time for something new. So over the past 4 days I spent a total of 22 hours combing out my hair.

Here I am before the de-dreading, with recently died dreads.



After 2 Combs, 2 jars of intensive conditioner, and a lot of patience I now have my long hair back.

Oregon Wilderness

I have seen many beautiful places, but there is nothing like the feel, smell, and beauty of Oregon forests. Today I took a hike through the Wildwood Recreation Site, in the foothills of Mt. Hood. It is really a pretty mellow place for a hike, most of the trails are either boardwalks or paved, but I managed to find some quiet space at the end of one of the boardwalks where I could sit and really take in the landscape around me.

Psalm 104:13

"He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work"

I love nature for so many reasons but there are two reasons that always stick out to me. The first reason being that it is a place where my soul really feels at peace and can rest. When I am in the woods, by the river, or on the mountain I feel rejuvenated. The second reason, is with wilderness is a place where I can see most easily the work of God. I love just sitting and taking in all the life giving beauty God has put together.


Walking through the forest the realization came to me that I may not be back in these woods, or any forests of Oregon for quite some time. With this thought I made sure to take in the views around me that much more. When will I next see a hillside covered with my favorite ground cover of Wood Sorrel. When will I next see the Sandy River or any river so cold and clean? And when will I next see mountains so majestic? I may not know for certain.

Don't get me wrong I will miss Oregon, however I am very excited to learn an entirely new ecosystem. I am looking forward to learning about totally different plants and animals, and bettering my understanding of nature through this knowledge. So while I said bit of a good bye, the possibilities ahead of me brought me strength.

A New Journey

Over the past year, the Lord has been preparing me for a big adventure. All the while, I had little idea of where this adventure would take me. After traveling across the United States twice, after prayer and growth in church, after meeting dozens of new friends, I have finally realized that I am to move to New Orleans.

I visited for the first time in April, and found myself back in June. I fell in love with the city. The music, the art, the culture. It is beautiful.

Mimi, Mariah, and I were all in NOLA for a swing dance event. Here are a couple of pics of Mimi and me.






The truth is, I love the Northwest, but I have lived here my entire life and it is time to stretch myself beyond my limits.

I finished classes at PSU last week, have no job, and no significant other to hold me here. Of course I will miss my friends here and Coram Deo more than anything, but with Facebook and cell phones it will be fairly easy to keep in touch with them.

I just have to move a few things into storage at my Dad's house, load up my car, and I'm off. Crazy! I've been watching the hurricane updates. It will be a bit difficult getting there with all of the heavy rain in the area, but I'll leave when I feel the time is right and I am sure God will get me there.