I really like Nashville

I definitely could see living here one day. When I'm in SF, not so much, but when I'm here, I recall I really really like it. It's so green and pretty and laid back. I feel like there is just space here. Room to breathe, to relax... It's not so efficient or edgy or superior, it just kinda is. It's funny, cause when I lived here before I felt SO stifled. I moved west to find some space. And I did. I got everything I wanted. Why is it that now, this place makes me feel free, relaxed? Is it just because I have never worked here? That I am always here on vacation? That family is here? That the first taste of crisp fall weather entices my senses? The sentimentality of my youth? I am sure it's all of the above. At any rate, I still feel at peace here, a longing to come back someday...

Tell me what you're going to do now You get everything you wanted and you're still let down

provocative conversation with mom today

about the Christian couples she knows that are divorcing
about the lines that get crossed, which are clear, which are gray, whether these matter
how it may be obvious to others but seem innocent/harmless to the one slipping

how enticing sin is, how the more you think about the object you desire, the more you have to have it
how the cards seem stacked against our moral success

thinking about boundaries between platonic friends of the opposite gender
about the concept of emotional intimacy

of boredom
of rationalization and self-justification

of how sin/temptation must be brought to the light
not wrested with alone

that the Body of Christ exists not to worship next to each other,
serve next to each other,
live side by side

no, we must be intertwined, voluntarily, in love
the church must be a place of broken, honest humility
a place where people are safe to bring their sh*t
to confess their sin and temptations to one another
to seek real help and accountability

to share the sins that are covertly only entertained in their thoughts
before they become the sordid truth in action
cause we can't live this Christian life on our own
We NEED one another

and I like talking with mom like an adult:)

there's nothing like community

to make a person feel less wretched and more a part of God's family

hung out most the day with my ROCKIN brothers from Centrevol, passing through from Long Beach on tour

God has used these brothers in my life to build me up and encourage me in Him. They played an incredible set at SF Underground and Melis and I had a stellar time hanging about SF with them today/tonight! Miss Chew ROCKS even did a song with them, FO SHO!!!!!!!!


Kai ("yo marcy, my sister!") told me I'm officially his “second favorite white girl” (behind his wife!) his SFWG... “wait, we need some vowels in there, I'll work on it... second favorite of all white girls, SFOAWG.” So honored:)

Too much fun-- Not to mention just the integrity with which these guys operate and treat their sisters in Christ...

Recalls what a good friend said regarding having lunch with her cousin, how I feel about these guys; it bolsters my hope in godly men of character existing in this world:) Reminded that we ladies are treasures and that "love IS on the move."

Love these guys:)

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

It was so great to see Conor Oberst live, like 10 ft from the stage, at Mezzanine SF last night!! Since I have every song he's ever written, it was great to see him perform in person. So authentic, so true. That's what I love and respect about him: his transparency and honesty in song writing (and life).

He was describing the time he wrote a particular song (White Shoes) and called himself a known "self-saboteur". How apt. I can relate, and it's obvious from his songs that he knows this about himself.

I've so long thought about and prayed for him (I know that sounds SO weird), because his raw self-awareness lends itself to realizing the need for God. I know he's a "recovered Catholic" and no longer a believer, but his songs belie a longing for meaning! For truth and purity. This is no secret, he has broadcasted to the world for years his brokenness and desire for transcendence.

He's not this flashy, attention-seeking performer, nor a falsely humble singer-songwriter. He just is on stage, just as his music is on record. He is honest, real, and human. It was great.