volleyball

here at labri there is a lot of thinking. most days the group feels exhausted. its as if we have been running all day and honestly..we havent moved too much. day after day i find myself so tired. i go to bed at 10pm most days and wake up at about 730am. yes yes....im sure those of you that know me well are probably in shock because im going to be so early and actually getting over 8 hours of sleep. ive realized that my tiredness has nothing to do with outside movement but internal movement. i truly am tired from thinking. 3 hours a day im reading or listening to lectures. 1.5 hours a day im in a discussion with peers where one question is brought up and we discuss it the entire 1.5 hours. then at night, we have a lecture or we watch a movie and discuss. my faith has truly been expanded and i feel like my mind is filled with so much more..as if my brain had not been working for years and finally the gears are in motion. 

just so you have a few ideas of some of the things we've been discussing and thinking about

- body and soul and how they are connected

- what is the heart? 

- how can God be good if there is suffering

- what is beauty and its purpose

- what is shame and how do we live in our shame

- understanding idolatry today

- what it means to be human and how it shows there is a God 

- what is heaven?

the list could go on and on.

within every question is more questions but ironically...even with the more questions i feel like my faith is beginning to have a real foundation. the more we discuss the more and more i believe Christianity is true and the only way....and im so encouraged and scared all at the same time:) 

so how do i survive all this thinking? yup..you got it, volleyball. during tea time (yes..we have tea time..2x a day) we rally troops together and play and its probably one of my favorite things at labri. its amazing getting a bunch of people to gether to just play. we all think and question all day together but during volleyball...we get to laugh hysterically at our amazing skills (sarcasm there) and just play together. volleyball has been a lifesaver for me in so many ways. it reminds me that in life we must have play, we must be able to laugh and be silly and just enjoy one another in the moment.

too often during times friends are together we think about the other possibilities of things we could be doing instead of  being completely present with the people we are with. i think i'll write more about the sacrament of being present later..but..the point is....volleyball reminds me to just be present  and to have fun.

ive once again pushed back my dates and now ill be leaving labri at the end of june. so ya. thats my quick update! hope you are all well!