Christmas

First, I'll give you what you really want, which is a look into the humorous life that is lived in the Pistone house.

Since the Midgordens (my sister and brother-in-law) were spending Christmas Day with the Midgordens, we celebrated a new holiday this year which shall be called Christmas Eve Day. Really, we basically decided that the 23rd was Christmas Eve, the 24th was Christmas, and today was second Christmas. Excellent decision on our part, I must say. Events included dinner at my Aunt's on the 23rd. That was awesome because I missed seeing my cousins and loved hearing about their lives. Also, I finally got to see my Aunt Paula's bear (they keep telling me it's a dog, but that's impossible) and her new house. Wonderful times were had by all and surprisingly I'm pretty sure none of the aunts were even tipsy.

The 24th we awoke early to open presents only to be foiled by Vincent's eye appointment. But present time finally came and much rejoicing followed. Good loot this year. My grandparents decided that the weather was too bad for them to leave the house (though it was only raining at that point) so we went to their house. We had a traditional all-fish-holy-day-of-obligation Christmas Eve (Day) dinner and then left as the ice started to fall. Well, the ice continued and we pansy protestants cancelled our Christmas Eve services, and so we all went to hear my parents play bells at the Christmas Eve service. Four boys in matching homemade red vests sat in front of us and both of my siblings managed a "Ding fries are done" joke during Carol of the Bells. After mass we said good bye to my sister and Jon who left to have Christmas with their other family.

Today we got up late since there were no presents to be opened. We all continued to lay about the house in pajamas until about 4:00, when my mother and I decided to go see a movie. I put on my boots and went to defrost my car. However, it was surrounded by about a foot and a half of snow on all sides and after pretending we were maybe going to go for about 10 minutes we went back inside and watched both Love Actually and The Holiday instead. When the movies were over my mother said, "What should we do now?" I realized I hadn't eaten in at least an hour and a half and since calories don't count on Christmas (or second Christmas) I seized the opportunity to stuff my face.

Now I find it about time to go pass out filled with merriment from my do-nothing and eat-everything Christmas. For sure, this is how Jesus' birthday was meant to be celebrated.

I hope you had as great a time as I did. I also hope to work out for as long as my little body can take it tomorrow.

Love!

-Veronica

Welcome Home?

Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy. But then I remember that I'm 20 and I think we're supposed to be like this.

There's a funny thing about school and that is this: it keep you so stinking busy that you don't really have time to think about things if you don't want to think about them. You don't have time to deal with life-- you just live it and process it later. Healthy? Oh, probably not. But you know what, I've been learning the 8,000 paradigms that go with Greek verbs and I do not have time for this.

And so this semester, I kind of hit the wall. School just got really hard the last few weeks and I could not keep my paradigms straight for the life of me. It probably has something to do with going straight from school to overseas to school and never stopping to just be. Also, I've never really been one to turn the brain off for a moment (unless, of course, I'm watching the O.C.). So here I've been scrambling and dying, just a little bit, to get to this break and be able to just be for a while. I think my mind needs it.

But the problem with rest is now that my lower needs are met I can crawl back up the pyramid. Thanks Maslov for the imagery. And frankly, it is uncomfortable. The real question that comes out is, "If God and I are really doing pretty well right now, why am I still unhappy with this?" This can be whatever you need it to be-- but the issue for me is that I can't seem to shake it. It's there and I don't know how to make it go away.

I think I've been so busy for so long, I've forgotten how to be satisfied.

It's been a while but if I remember correctly, relearning satisfaction is neither pretty nor comfortable. Necessarily ugly, if you will. Oh, I will.

Here's to a break of rest, weddings, and freaking out. Should be... interesting.

Other news of interest: I am teaching a class at Gateway this January about Walking in the Spirit. So, that's going to be awesome. And if you'd like to pray for that, I'd really appreciate it. Adults are scary. Just trying to be obedient.

May the peace of Christ, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Cheers!

-Veronica

FREAK DO THIS

http://www.gousabid.com/city/local/kansas-city-mo/

What could have been.

One thing I have asked of the LORD, this is what I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.

Who is it that you seek?

We seek the LORD our God.

Do you seek Him with all of your heart?

Amen. LORD have mercy.

Do you seek him with all of your soul?

Amen. LORD have mercy.

Do you seek him with all of your mind?

Amen. LORD have mercy.

Do you seek him with all of your strength?

Amen. Christ have mercy.

Christ as a light, illumine and guide me.

Christ as a shield overshadow me.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all powerful.

Be in the heart of each to whom I speak, and in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.

This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all powerful.

Christ as a light, Christ as a shield,

Christ beside me, on my left and my right.

Simple Devotion. [by: Misty Edwards]

I remember the first glance
I remember the first romance
I remember the first dance
When I fell in love with you

The first time God ever spoke to me I was six years old. I was in the first grade ccd class at St. John LaLande. Joe Ridings dad was the teacher. Joe and I have the same birthday... I think that's why I remember. Either way, the teacher was saying something and I thought to myself, "What if I don't believe in God?" and immediately after, he said, "And God knows if you don't believe in Him." To which I thought, "Ok, God. I'm sorry."

I decided to follow Christ when I was 10 years old. It was the summer before 6th grade. My sister came into my room one night and told me that there was more to getting into heaven than just going to church. I don't really know what made me want to do it, but that night I prayed that Christ would be my savior. I remember feeling the chills... and then my sister told me to start reading Romans. :)

The first time I ever danced during worship, I was 17 years old. It was the summer after my senior year and I was teenstaffing at youthfront camp south. Jason Ellsworth was leading worship and I just remember being so overcome with joy that I lifted up my hands and spun around. Something was awakened in me. Later, Jason told me that my dancing had really ministered to him. Lindsey Klapper said she saw me and thought, "Good for you, Veronica."

These are some of the moments I remember that have made me fall in love with Him. Just thought I'd share.

Love,

Vern

Some things I have realized.

He is a dreamer. He walks into places and is unsettled deep inside of him by what they are because he sees the potential for what they could be. He walks in the Spirit, in a way that fire almost burns in his eyes. When he talks to a person, he sees beyond the surface, beyond the how are you, I'm fine's and into their deepest hopes and hurts. He lives with a power that comes only from assurance in the freedom and righteousness of Christ. People alway notice that something is different about him. He speaks boldly. He is unafraid of the consequences and pursues his Lord with everything he has. He loves Jesus deeply. He hears the poetry of the story. Sometimes it moves him to tears... or at least, he understands when it moves me to tears. He feels it: the beauty of life, the immanence of the Kingdom. He understands that Jesus died to give us life now and seeks to live it to the fullest. Yet, he is a thinker. He poses hard questions. He knows what he thinks and why, yet remains willing to learn. He challenges me to continue to the next level. He awakes the dreamer inside of me and shows me that God isn't quite done with me yet. But he embraces humility. He knows that everything he has comes from his Maker. But he uses that freedom to serve others in love.

I don't know him yet. Someday, God will bring him to me. I believe this.

Why He's my fave.

So tonight, God said, "Hey, go to the fountain." So I went. And there were two girls there and they were already talking so I just walked past them. So God said, "Hey now, don't be a pansy." So then JB called and he came and we talked and then I said, "Hey, come pray for these girls with me." So we did. They opened up. And I think they are coming to the good ol' HC tomorrow. And that's why life is fun following the Son. Because He says, "Go south." And you go south and see what happens.

Livin' the dream.

-Veronica

Karip, what?

Welcome week is in full swing here at the boo. It's fun because this year I get to pretend to be a tri-w thanks to access's new roles. Basically, I get to hang out with Em and Nathan all week and play with cool freshies. The apartment is awesome, but I'm not such a huge fan of buying groceries. I have to learn to be a real person.

It's still kind of hard to be here without a real schedule, but it's getting better all the time. I love my friends. I love this place. I'm excited for classes.

Chapel stuff is going to be awesomeeeee. :)

Miss those kids around the world fo' sho.

-Veronica

I'm not going to lie to you.

I think I might be done with the blogging thing-- at least for a while. I think twitter ruined me. I can't think of posts longer than 140 characters.

The transition back has been a little difficult. My normal lack of initiative has been blown out of proportion. Getting anything done is a very overwhelming task for me... so I just keep running away. This is probably not the best solution, but today I got some stuff done and I have good plans to continue productivity tomorrow. And all of my running away was for the cause of the kingdom, so it can't be too bad.

Went to Colorado last week to take my faves to camp. Got the worst sunburn of my life. I look like a leper and fear I will never be pretty again. But camp was good.

I am having some weird issues with God and I can't really seem to put them all into words just like I can't seem to get a check to Steve in the mail. So, maybe in the next couple of days it will all come together?

I really miss our city. I'm not doing well with responsibility.

Sometimes I wish someone would just figure out all of the details for me so I could just go love people. Oh wait, that's almost how it works. :)

I should be in bed. Fo realz.

Miss these whiteys too.

Home again.

I'm back.

It was good.

I miss it there.

love.

whattttt?

So, uh, I'm leaving the country on Monday.

O week changed my life.

I am pretty good at driving a stick if I don't say so myself.

That's all.

[phil 2:13-14]

-V.

I changed my mind.

Her name is Beatrice.

I can drive her, but it's still pretty jerky. I need practice.

Parking lots. Those DANG parking lots.

There are only 2 weeks of classes left. WHATTT??

Coming home next weekend.

O Week is 3 weeks from today.

That's all.

Love.
-V

Maude. Maybe...

I love my car.

I wish I could drive it.

That's all.

love.
V

My so-called life.

This weekend I was such a hippie. I slept outside and painted and didn't wear shoes and braided hair. love. It was great. I had so much fun working for the good of the kids in Uganda. I am sad I won't get to go to lobby days. For everyone who has no idea what I'm talking about:

The Rescue was an event with Invisible Children in 100 cities in 10 different countries. The gist is abduct yourself to help free those who are being abducted by the LRA-- the rebel army in Uganda. So we walked 2 miles carrying all of our things on our backs and then we slept in the place where we waited to be rescued. To be rescued we had to get media and a mogul-- local cultural figure, preferably politician. While we waited we wrote letters to senators (which, turns out, they have to read by law) to tell them that this issue is important to us. Those letters will be hand delivered in June when representatives go to Washington DC to raise awareness and get something done.

So for my part, I camped out at the capitol and got my hippie on. :)

Car: 3 days.
Last day of finals: 23 days.
O-week: 27 days.

Life= great.

Now if only I could get motivated to read for Christian Doctrines. mehhh.

-V.

Things I love.

• Sunshine (I have a farmer's tan of my favorite yellow shirt now. Well, a farmer's burn.)
• Swimming
• Snocones
• 3 days to the rescue
• 32 days to O Week
• Scholarships
• Classes (NERD. I know.)
• Friend dates
• Friends in general
• House church
• Car soon.
• Free Chick-fil-a (because he totally thought we were hot.)
• pretending like I might have money to buy an ipod touch (I don't, I'm going to Asia.)
• my family
• other things too, I'm sure

-V

He is risen! (He is risen indeed.)

"Bridgeway people don't know that one."

HA! Three things to say:

1) BW celebrates very well and it was fun to do Easter there, but a lot of me missed home. Stupid papers keeping me here. hmph.

2) I got my summer assignment last Wednesday. Frankly, I can't believe I haven't written anything about it yet. Here's the basics of my crazy life. May 20: last final/drive home. May 24-30: O week (that's short for orientation, for all of you newbies.). June 1: leave. July 21: come back. So, see everyone at home... never. Or at least not until the last week of July. It's crazy, but it's going to be flipping awesome. AND, I get to go to TPX camp in Colorado. So, that's rocking as well. The summer should be a good one. And I am going to get a lot of wear out of my chacos.

3) In about 2 or 3 weeks I will be the proud owner of a Chevy Aveo.It looks a little something like that, but in black. My parents are buying it from my grandma. So I should have a fun weekend with my mom and brother going to Dallas to get it. Also, it's a stick shift, so I currently don't know how to drive it. So that'll be interesting. Naming is still in process, I think it's a boy. Possibly "Arnold: the wonder wagon," but I'm open to suggestions.

Hope all is well with your soul.
-V

The Rescue.

Hey everybody.

Right now I want to tell you that there are 3,000 children in Uganda who need you. They have been taken from their families and are being forced to do terrible things. If you want to help them, clear your schedule for April 25th and go to therescue.invisiblechildren.com to learn about what to do.

Abduct yourself to help the abducted.

That's all. I hope you will join the movement.
-V

P.S. Yes, I did just figure out how to make a block quote. Thanks for asking.

My life since Thanksgiving.

Me: God, this is not where I imagined myself. I just don't understand.
YHWH: I know what I'm doing, do you trust that? I have this figured out and it's good for you. So start looking for me. Because if you look for me, you're going to find me. I want to show myself to you. (Jeremiah 29)

Me: I trust you. You have (once again) shown yourself to be faithful and met me in my looking for you. Now what?
YHWH: I know you. I know you better than anyone else ever will. I put you together in your mother's womb. I am with you when you get up and when you lay down. There's nowhere you can go to get away from me.
Me: Ok, God. Here's my heart. I'm laying it out here in the open. Pick out whatever you don't want there and show me what you want instead. (Psalm 139)

I believe that God is a giver and not a taker.

love.
V

TPX Weekend!

This weekend. I'm excited. Prayer would be nice.

love.
V

Why bother with proofs for God's existence?

e^2πi = 1. God must exist.

love.

-V

It's business time.

Did some business with Jesus this weekend. It was good. And intense. And... trippy. But I'll get to the point.

If Jesus was coming back tonight, would you be ready? Or would you feel like you were missing out on something?

For example, Jesus showed me that I didn't want to miss out on things like marriage or kids. But if I say, "Jesus, just wait to come back until I get to go to grad school, or get to be a wife, or get to be a mom..." then those are all just desires that I have put before him.

And you know what those are called? Idols.

So he really challenged me-- are you willing to count all of those things as loss for the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ? Will you be like Paul and really think, for me to live is Christ, then to die is gain?

I don't know if that made sense, and I'm using a lot of commas. I apologize. Like I said, trippy weekend.

All of that to say, I feel like God is weeding out my heart, one thing at a time, until all that's left is Him. Every time I think the weeds are gone, we begin all over again.

It's a good season.

Love.
-V

At least I learned something?

Don't do D-nows for people you don't know. It's a bad idea.

Drama in my life.

However, I loved my girls. I hope they collided with God.

I feel like I'm just at a point where my only desire is for everything in my life to be for the glory of God. He is my first and only love. I just really want everything to be for him.

It's a good place to be. You are welcome to come join me. :)

peace.
-V

Why, yes.

Things I must put in your hands:

chapel.
my heart.
relationships.
classes.
waking up.
breathing.
-->everything.

Amen. [It's Yours.]

Mmm.

For you, I sing I dance.

I rejoice in this divine romance.

love.
-V

I wish I may, I wish I might...

My hearts hurts.

And I'm just not sure what to do with it.

Happy Groundhog's Day.
-V.

Who Knew?

Apparently, the difference between "dark golden brown" and "dark brown" was a little greater than I expected.

oops.

That said, I'm going to stay with my roomie tomorrow and on to OBU Friday.

And it is well with my soul.

Peace.
-V

Life Lately.

A lot of things happened that I didn't understand.

But I think God is showing me a little bit of his purpose.

He gave, and then He took away... and I said, "God, why did you do that to me?" To which He replied, "Do you trust me? Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened unto you."

And so I am asking, I am seeking, and I am knocking. And God said, "See, if I didn't take away you wouldn't have learned to ask."

And so I smiled. And realized that I am very happy in this season of asking.

And this season of asking is turning into a season of intercession, with which I believe God will do incredible things.

I believe that a season of intercession is followed by a season of receiving, finding, and opened doors. And I really like praying-- and I think that is a good thing.

And mostly, I am excited to go back to school, to be with people I love, to seek God there in the things He is doing, and to live a full life of satisfaction.

So, God has proven Himself to be wonderful, yet again. How marvelous.

Love.
-V

Food for Thought.

Knowing the future will not bring peace. Only knowing Christ will bring peace.

eh?

Love.
-V

I should probably be a little more organized.

My first act as Chapel CREW co-chair came too late, and then had to be corrected. I hope they enjoy getting emails from me. Haha. It's ok... Jesus totally still loves me.

I would just like everyone to know it's a little difficult to plan things from 300 miles away.

I'll be at OBU one week from today for a much needed weekend with my loves. And that makes my heart happy.

In the last week I've seen how easily I have been fooled, and that Satan character plays dirty. It makes me want to kick him in the face.

Today I bought my books and I intentionally bought one an edition back because it was only 30 cents instead of 60 dollars. I hope it turns out ok. Haha.

Gosh. I still have yet to crack open any Hebrew since I've been home. Probably a bad idea. Oh well.

Missing you with everything that is within me,
V

Life.

Thus far, the new year looks a lot like the old year.

I got my new toothbrush. Now my mouth always feels as clean as if I just got out of the dentist's office, without the gross straight fluoride taste. Laugh all you want, I think this might be true love.

I finished the twilight series today. It was pretty good. I think I'd recommend them. I think the 3rd book (Eclipse) was my favorite. I will say that the characters are not the best or deepest, and the romance is a little gushy for me, but overall the storyline carries and I could not put them down because I wanted to know what was going to happen. Long story short: I will still make fun of people who are in love with Edward Cullen, but I will not make fun of people who read them. Besides, Jasper is way totally hotter anyway. :)

So I've read 5 books in my time home thus far. I'm waiting for my Bonhoeffer book to come in the mail. Until then I think I'll hit up Mr. Henry Nouwen because that one is short and a little less intimidating than Dallas Willard.

Just in case... you wanted to know. Haha.

Sorry my life is so boring. I don't even have any good Minsky's stories.

I LIED. Tonight, I found out that my manager the idiot, who thankfully got transferred to the other store, was put in jail for selling liquor without a license to a minor. HA! And, he used to work in a bar. AND, he didn't get his liquor license in the first place because he had a warrant out for his arrest. Yes, that makes perfect sense.

I would just like to say that officially the people who work with me are way crazier than the people who come to eat the pizza. That's totally fine with me. Crazies are bad tippers.

Wishing I was with you (instead of here),
-V