seasons.

"there is a season for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

ecclesiastes 3:1-8

happy fun mail.sara and amy.
football in the rain.

emily and sarah.

"seasons" was the theme of our linC fall retreat. i still can't get over what a wonderful job our seniors did in planning, organizing, and executing the weekend...all of it. despite still not feeling great after being sick for a week, i have no regrets of being a part of the weekend. together we shared and discussed the fall, winter, spring, and summers of our lives - more figuratively than literally. together we worshipped our creator God. together we laughed. together we were silent in reflection. together we were in awe of the beauty of nature. together we recited ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

"Because of the Lord's great love

we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness."

lamentations 3:22-23

for lack of anything better.

i think i'm the only one in my family whose workplace has not been visited. i don't say that with any resentment, be assured. i say it because it must be hard for anyone to imagine at all what my office/work life is like. it is often hard for me to even explain. what do i do? the other day my boss referred to my job in his company as a "hybrid", because i do a little of everything. so let me share with you a little of my work world...

"the office" - my computer on the right, christians to the left.

my corner, and my green tea.

doesn't look like it, but bookshelves with LOTS of books.

where i spend most of my time - in my car, going from place to place.

my daily stop before getting to work - 7/11 for green tea.

a road i frequent - garden state parkway.

just some pretty landscaping (not designed by me).

an important office - our accountant.

one of many borough halls i visit - demarest.

my favorite hillsdale crossing guard - short pants, funny basketball sneakers.

signs.

its amazing how much we can communicate about ourselves, our opinions, our beliefs, without using words...or audible words anyway. lately, as i drive here and there, i have noticed signs. bumper stickers on cars. big signs on highways. signs in front of houses. for example, one car had a political sticker that said "barack o'cain 2008". it went on to say something about how all politicians are the same. interesting. then there is a farmers market type place at a main intersection i drive through just about every day. there are signs for all sorts of fresh things - corn, blueberries, homemade cooking. then there is one that i find so disturbing, that if it were on sesame street, you would say "one of these things is not like the other". hot dogs. i don't even mind the sign for fresh coffee, at least it comes from a plant. but hot dogs?

okay, back to my point. so there is a house on prospect road/street/ave in woodcliff lake that bothers me. i noticed it around the time of september 11th, of course. it is hand painted, red white and blue. it says something like: "9/11. we will remember. never forget. never forgive." wow. never forgive? what a loud thing to be proclaiming, to be supporting, and possibly to be teaching their children. i know that forgiveness is one of the hardest things to do. i know that 9/11 was a horrific tragedy that shook our nation. but i also know what holding on to such things, not forgiving, can do to a person. and that is not something i would encourage...no matter how much someone has offended you. besides, think of all the forgiveness that we receive day after day.

that's my mini-sermon for today.

grace and peace.

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,

if any comfort from his love,

if any fellowship with the Spirit,

if any tenderness and compassion,

then make my joy complete by being like-minded,

having the same love,

being one in spirit and purpose.

Do nothing out of selfish amtition or vain conceit,

but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests,

but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness."

philippians 2:1-7

car myths debunked.

how often are we mislead with information because we have no knowledge of the thing/topic ourselves? cars are one of those things that if you have little knowledge of them, it easy to just buy into whatever the "experts" tell you. it gives them power over us less-informed folk. whether it be car buying, and that could be broken down into leasing versus financing, car selling, car maintenance, car whatever...you name it. i am here to bust a few myths, due to recent information i've become privileged to.

first, we are told that oil changes should be done every 3,000 miles or every 3 months. myth # 1. i recently learned through some reading that the 3,000 mile marker is a big unnecessary. a typical car would probably be just fine with changes every 10,000 miles, give or take. mind you, this may require checking your oil levels more often, and adding oil when it gets low. but something to consider and research, nonetheless.

second, why do we limit ourselves to using the typical oil products that we are told to buy/use in our vehicles. 10w-30, 5w-30 (which my car likes). overrated. white observing one of our carpenters work on his truck (his truck, i note, not ours) i see him for a while under the hood. i may have been distracted for a minute, but then i look up to see him step away from the hood holding two empty energy drink cans. we must not limit ourselves to the typical oils assumed to be good for a car - they are just trying to steal our money. energy drinks are not just for our initake, but for car use as well. i must point out, that his truck was purring like a cat as he rolled our of the driveway.

i will try to further assist those less-informed about cars with more myth debunking. for now, feel privileged to be in the know about these two items.

long time, no see.

i know, it has been a while. but as commented to my sister, there just isn't a whole lot new in my life at the moment. i think i pretend that i too am part of this whole "back to school" mentality - but truth is, my life just goes on as normal. but i guess i can try to adopt some of the mentality in my own life - the idea of starting over, of freshness, of new beginnings, of new motivations. i was pleased this week to realize that i was finding myself enjoying aspects of my job again. yes, then i had a friday morning meeting that completely wiped all of that away, and made me wonder whether i shouldn't quit my job. this is not at the fault of the clients i met with - i actually really enjoy them. it was more at the frustration of feeling like my boss should be doing a better job, as should our crew. the whole idea of, if you can't do something well should you be doing it at all, came to mind. and it seems to be the theme of the weekend. it carried over into our linC leaders breakfast meeting this morning. not that we are going to get rid of linC or youth group (no way, not at all) but are their aspects of it that we should do without.

okay, not at all what i intended to write about when i clicked "new post" with the mouse. sorry for my lack of focus. actually, this is going to be a random post. forget organizational paragraphs and coherent ideas. i'm just going to throw things at you...let you deal with them.

first, a picture of my grandma (nell schuurman) and myself in one of our summer excursions to michigan. a short and busy long weekend, but so enjoyable and inspiring. the reason for our trip was my cousin keith's wedding - which was beautiful and wonderful in itself. but being all together as a family, with the exception of adam, was great. and i post a picture of myself with my grandma because to me, it was all about her indirectly. we celebrated my cousin's wedding, yes, and my parents 35th wedding anniversity, yes, but what it comes down to is a celebration of what she and my grandpa did. their love. their faith. its worth celebrating.

okay, so i realize that i look a bit "under the influence" of something in this picture. but be assured that i am not, other than some chocolate milk and blasted goldfish. meet kristen lindsay and jamie van buiten. two girls that bring so much joy to my life, but more importantly are solid and quality examples of what it means to be living in Christ every day, even at their young ages. i may be their coach (and friend) but they are a blessing to me.

we recently enjoyed another celebration - matthew's 14th birthday - at carmine's in nyc. family style italian dinner. good times. simply put, mamamuchi (for those of you who don't know, "mamamuchi" means "its all good")!

shalom.

"...the Hebraic understanding of shalom is far more than just the absence of conflict or strife. shalom is the presence of the goodness of God. it's the presence of wholeness, of completeness." (rob bell - 'velvet elvis')



my job (design associate for CHDB, INC...whatever that means) has its pros and cons. one of them (both a pro and a con) is waiting for inspections. a con because it is just that, waiting. a pro, because it is waiting. i've learned to bring things with me to help occupy the time. computer. newspaper. books. food. drinks. today, i distracted myself for a while with the book by rob bell, entitled 'velvet elvis: repainting the Christian faith'. i've read it once (front to back)...but have revisited it numerous times. i just find it so full of insightful inspiration. it is especially beneficial today, a day when i am feeling like my heart just is not in my job. i'm sure this in part has to do with it being the second day back from a wonderful weeklong vacation in cape cod. but its also in part due to the constant struggle i have with "work", with determining what it is i should be doing with all that God has given me and blessed me with. (that is not to sound egotistical, and hopefully if you are reading this, you know me well enough to realize that) its just that lately, even if i can say that i enjoy my job, i feel like i am working for a paycheck. and there may not be anything wrong with that. but i'm not so sure it is right for me.



what does this paragraph have to do with my "introduction" paragraph. maybe nothing at all. but maybe just the desire to not only experience shalom myself, but to help others realize it as well.



and since i have a tendency to look up to, admire, and try to be like my sisters...i too will share some photos from our cape cod vacation...

photo gallery.

hudson oliver culp.

when did i become "emotional"? i was once a little blondie with constant bumps and bruises, the "little miss hit" as my sisters labeled me, what some would call a tom-boy. i would pick up random pieces of furniture and show off my strength to whoever would be impressed, in particular to my grandmother as i told her "heffy mama". and now today, as i drove from site to site, the very thought of my new nephew could bring tears to my eyes. i have yet to meet him, due to circumstances, but i know that he is a perfect reflection of God's love and faithfulness and a demonstration of the beauty of God's wonderful design in creation.

what a world hudson has become a part of. it is not without fault - there is pain and suffering, of course. but i already know in his first 12 hours of life that he is a blessing. hudson enters the world, a community, a family...and that is not just any family. (no, i am not patting myself on the back for our extended family...i am referring more to his immediate family - adam, kate, and alex) his mom is not just my sister, she is one of my best friends. she will fill that home with a joy that is contagious (she already does). adam's solid foundation will teach him to see the good in everyone, in everything. alex will fill the big-brother shoes well, and make him laugh through it all.

i'm sure that i will be updating with pictures...but for now, get your fill at kate's blog:
www.k8culp.blogspot.com

the maids.

nobody outcleans the maids. (that's their slogan, by the way) and better yet, nobody has a better logo than the maids. if you don't already know, i'm obsessed with "the maids". i would like to meet the individual who designed that ingenius logo. my boss and his wife recently hired a cleaning company to clean their house (our office is in the basement). i was so disappointed when it was not "the maids". i guess my boss just doesn't get it...NOBODY outcleans the maids.

now that i've blogged, my sister can have her baby...she threatened me that she wouldn't have the baby until i updated my blog. obviously, the baby would have a say in this and would win...but since i'm so anxious for their child to come, i'll do my part.

ec track 2008.

maddie, arrielle, jamie, schuyler.
myself and maddie.
me.

the beast.

new york city is always good for providing new experiences. sometimes they are good, sometimes they are not. though more often than not, even if it is an experience i wouldn't wish to repeat, i can appreciate it for one reason or another.

the beast (or actually "the shark") was a new york city experience that i can now say, been there done that, to. our high school church youth group (linC) went into the city yesterday without knowing what to expect. all we really knew was that we'd be on a large speed boat that rides around the city for about 30-40 minutes. we knew we might get wet. what we didn't know, or at least i didn't know, was the extent of how wet we just might get. i guess since i had to brush puddles of water off of my seat before i sat down, i should have known. within seconds of the boat taking off, i was soaked. literally. it depended on the seat you had, somewhat. the crew was there to ensure that anyone who didn't get wet by the boats doing would get wet by water guns. i didn't need any help - either did a few of the kids in our group.

some pictures for your enjoyment:

"the shark"

my view behind me...

we did ride pretty close to the statue of liberty

ben and kelsey...just a little wet.

kelsey got more soaked than anyone else on that boat.

south street seaport.

the disorganized group.

some of the seaport's entertainment...kinda creepy at times.

the group.

in wonder.

i have not blogged lately. i guess i just don't feel like i've had "blogworthy" updates or excitement to write about. i still don't, but i'm going to share another song that i really like lately. i don't necessarily listen to a lot of "christian music", but lately artists such as david crowder, chris tomlin, and now a little newsboys have been blaring from the speakers in my travels. there is one newsboys song in particular getting my attention, called 'in wonder':


So much wonder
Carved in your coral seas
So much wonder
Shaded by ancient trees
I consider all that your hands have made
Every newborn’s eyes, every new sunrise
No power can tame your presence
No light can match your radiance

LET ALL CREATION SING IN WONDER
EVERY SEA, EVERY CREATURE, EVERY STAR
YOU OPENED UP MY EYES TO WONDER
WHAT A VISION, WHAT A WONDER YOU ARE

Such a wonder
Ordering time and tide
Such a wonder
Bridging the great divide
I consider all that you had, all you gave
And all that you endured
From this rebel world
What a wondrous cross you chose to bear
What a wonder you would even care

LET EVERY ROCK CRY OUT
LET EVERY KNEE BOW DOWN
YOU OPENED UP MY HEART TO WONDER
WHAT LOVE, WHAT A WONDER YOU ARE

No power can tame your presence
No light can match your radiance
Such a wonder...Such a wonder...

LET EVERY ROCK CRY OUT
LET EVERY KNEE BOW DOWN
YOU OPENED UP MY HEART TO WONDER
WHAT LOVE, WHAT A WONDER YOU ARE


this time of year in particular draws me to the wonder of God. i intentionally take the time to notice creation all around me - it helps that i have a lot of time on the road to look around and enjoy the opening blossoms, fresh green leaves, freshly mulched plant beds. such a wonder...

surely we can change.

Where there is pain

Let us bring grace

Where there is suffering

Bring serenity

For those afraid

Let us be brave

Where there is misery

Let us bring them relief

And surely we can change

Something.

(David Crowder - "Surely We Can Change")

love birds.

at a quick glance, this photo could just appear to be my parents wearing some silly hats. thankfully, there is much more behind it. my mom finished up her 16 weeks of chemo treatments a few weeks ago - we are still celebrating that in every way possible. of course, it takes time for the hair she lost to grow back, so she is still sporting her very trendy hair alternatives - such as the red one in the photo, and the blue/purple one my dad is wearing. no, that is not just a very tight winter hat on his head. dad cracked us all up sunday afternoon when he came down from getting to go for a walk with my mom wearing exactly as you see (he was struggling to stifle his own chuckles until we noticed). so while they look like goofballs (which they are mind you), the photo actually depicts a supportive love that has continued to grow over their 35 (almost) years of marriage.

"spring break".

just some pictures for now...mohonk 2008.