Highlights of the Month...

So, I know it has been awhile since I have blogged.  I have been getting grief about that from some of you:-)  The truth is even though some of  you may think I have an exciting life, sometimes I find it hard to know what to blog about.  Also, my life has been crazy busy.  I forget every year how busy the fall season is.  I feel like it is that way for everyone.  Fall is beautiful in NYC ( I am sure it is beautiful where you are too!)  I walked home through Central Park the other day and felt like I was walking through a movie scene.  I just love all the colors that this season brings.  Speaking of movie scenes, they have been filming the show "America's Next Top Model" right beside the school where I work.  I have had to step over chords and all kinds of stuff to get into the building in the mornings.  Also, they had a set for a movie up on my street right next to my apartment building this morning.  I thought one day I am going to see my little apartment building on a movie.  Wouldn't that be fun?

Okay, so I thought I would give you some highlights of my life from the last month or so. 

• NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK. I went with my friend Amy(who I work with at Redeemer) to see New Kids on the Block in concert at Madison Square Gardens.  NKOTB were big when I was very young, but it was so fun to go to a concert and feel like I was in the 80's again.  The picture above is from the concert. 
• FELLOWSHIP GROUP Amy (same girl from the concert) and I have started leading a fellowship group through Redeemer.  Fellowship groups are weekly bible studies that Redeemer uses to connect people in the church together.  We lead one for women every Tuesday night.  It is the highlight of my week!  Every Tuesday night around 10 girls ranging from ages 23-30 gather in my living room to talk, laugh, study the bible, pray, and share out hearts with one another.  We have been meeting for 6 weeks now and have quickly started to really bond.  It has been a great way for me to get connected to other girls at Redeemer and I am thoroughly enjoying the relationships that have been built and our time together.  I look forward to our group continuing to grow deeper together.  
• WEDNESDAYS IN THE BRONX. Every Wednesday my boss from Redeemer and I meet at 2:45 and travel to the Bronx together.  We go to St' Annes church, which is a place of safety and refuge to about 100 children who live in one of the most dangerous, impoverished  areas in America.  St. Annes hosts an after school program for these children to come to each afternoon.  My boss started going there about a year ago to help tutor children.  She easily recruited me and I now go and work with some children in the first grade class.  It has been really good for me to get out of Manhattan each week and have my eyes opened to a very different world.  It really is a joy to work with these children and have the opportunity to love on them for a couple of hours.  If you ever want a good book to read you should check out "Amazing Grace" by Jonathan Kozol.  I read it my first month here and it convinced me that I wanted to volunteer with these children each week.  The book is about this area of the Bronx and specifically St. Annes Church.  It is hard to read at points, but good to read.  
• THE PRODIGAL SON.  So I sit in church each week and am still amazed that I get to hear Tim Keller preach each Sunday.  This Fall he is doing a sermon series on the Gospel in Community,  but for 6 whole weeks within that he has been doing a series on the Prodigal Son.  It has been AMAZING.  Each week he focuses on a gospel theme in the parable.  I have learned about this parable in a whole new way.  I have read this parable so many times, and yet it is like I am looking at now with new eyes.  The Lord has really used this series to challenge me.  I wish I could tell you all about it, but I know I would be typing for quite some time.  I do suggest though that if you want some good sermons to listen too you should go to the Redeemer website and download them or purchase the CDs.  TK just came out with a new a book called "The Prodigal God", that is centered around this parable.  I love that our congregation at Redeemer got to hear these sermons right before the book came out.   I have not read the book yet, but am excited to soon.  

So those are four highlights from the past month.  Tomorrow my mom and sister are flying up for the weekend.  I am excited about that!  

So, people always ask me a lot of random questions about life in NYC.  If you have any fun questions, leave a comment and ask me and I will try to blog about some of those things. :-)