Pumpkin-flavored dreams.

We are totally soaking up this season... yes, it's my favorite. Yes, I am biased. Yes, autumn IS the best month.

Why?

One word: leaves.

Three words: The AC is OFF.

Five words: Sleeping with the windows open.

Wow, I hope you can recover from how random that was.

So on this end, we have been pondering our dreams. Eric has been rethinking his and I have been curiously musing upon mine. And speaking of those, here are some more designs I have been working on.

While at work today I pondered what it looks like to leave everything and follow Jesus--specifically in the area of, for lack of a better word, jobs/vocations. I know that in this culture it's all about finding out what you're going to do for the rest of your life in order to make money, even if it means forsaking the true desires of your heart.

Here have been my main points of thought:
1. Jesus had a vocation. He was a carpenter.
2. I'm sure that he actually enjoyed it.
3. But obviously it wasn't His purpose.
4. SO INTERESTING: When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow him, they dropped their nets and followed him. A really significant gesture--abandoning their work for Jesus.

{ MARK 4: 18-21 } ¹⁸ And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ They immediately left their nets and followed Him. ²¹ Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

That got me. I know Jesus calls us to things vocationally... but there was something about Jesus, so much so that simply at His beckoning, men dropped what they were doing in that very moment and came after Him. Yet we are so hesitant to do that. We actually believe that what we have is better than what He wants to replace it with!

I love that He embeds desires deeply within our hearts... yet releases us from the need to be bound to them.

Also, another thing I'm learning: How to not complicate love.

Additionally: I am abruptly completing this post because I have to get up at 6am to go to the Freshley Retreat! Rejoice because there will be photos.

And still: The title of this post is a tribute to the essence of fall, especially in conjunction with the very leafy banner I designed.