autumn.

autumn reminds me of...

hartley park, chester bowl and lake superior waves crashing along the shoreline. 

simon and tigerdog adventures with my forever neighbor, tracy.

my favorite pair of ripped jeans and cozy hoodie. (can't see the hoodie. but i'm wearing it, no doubt.)

brokenness.

the beauty of brokenness and changing seasons. 

transition.

family.

the smell of the farm during harvest.

combines.

the little machine thingy that measured the moisture of corn that sat on the kitchen counter in the old farm house. (that is closest i am coming to a technical term for that "machine thingy".) 

the sound of the dryer by the corn bins.

how hard my parents work.

how much i love and appreciate my mom and dad. 

the marching jays.

clarinet section bonding. go clarineties!

irondale, sioux falls and ankeny. 

hayrides and bonfires.

one of the best hayride/bonfire nights ever held at barbknecht farms. :)

treasured birthday celebrations.

high school football games.

sacred heart fall festival.

fall retreat (for the past 9 years, baby!)

year # 4 of  9

dunn bros and amazing grace cafe.

apple spice scented candles. 

simply put.

i was on the verge of tears.

at first, i couldn't really explain why.

it was just one of those days. thankfully, the previous days were low key. i hadn't been feeling well, so i took it easy. i didn't end up going to duluth like originally planned. it was a wise decision.

when you're not feeling well physically, it can impact you in other ways. emotionally. spiritually. i think i was experiencing that. also, after a couple of weeks go by on campus and you start to settle in a bit...it hits. 

there is hard work to come. 

simply put, i was overwhelmed.

as i drove to campus, the tears were near. i parked my car and waited for a phone call from my supervisor. as i waited, i pulled out my bible and continued reading in the old testament. 2 chronicles 14-15 were up next.

asa was king of judah. his father, and other kings preceding him, did not honor the Lord, their God. but asa came along and was different. 

"asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God." 14:1

asa sought the Lord and commanded his people to do the same. he destroyed idols of false worship. he pointed the people back to God.

in the midst of this, God used the goodness of community to speak truth to asa. 

"the Spirit of God came on azariah son of oded. he went out to meet asa and said to him, 'listen to me, asa and all judah and benjamin. the Lord is with you when you are with him. if you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. for a long time israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. but in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.'" 15:1-4

it goes on to say a couple verses later, "but as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." 15:7

press on! there is a purpose in our work when it's God directed. be strong. do not give up. take up your positions and stand firm!

i sat in my car and reread all of chapter 15 a few times, letting it soak in. 

it was one of those moments when God's Word jumps off the page and hits you straight in the heart.

the day continued with a very encouraging conversation with my supervisor, praying for campus with others and watching God pursue lives of students this evening from pine and oak. 

this work is WORTH IT because God is the great worker behind it all! he invites us into a very purposeful partnership.

friends, press on! 

simply put, God is at work!