why i will never live in a glass house

Well it has been an eventful time in Switzerland to say the least. This past week tops the cake though. Classes have officially started and we are all slowly getting into the swing of things. My teachers seem pretty good and I am interested in 2 of 4 my classes so that’s something. This past weekend we had a lot of fun. We went to a fun night club called le Darling, we visited the Olympic Museum, took a day trip to Bern, and revisited the beautiful winery that we took a tour of during orientation. All of these excursions were so fun and it is so beautiful here. The wheather is so tricky here though. It looks so cold outside and the moment you step ou of the house you realize that the clouds fooled you again. Other than that I have no complaints. The food is extraordinary. We went for Fondue tonight to celebrate our RA Amy’s birthday. It was fantastic, a pretty penny though if I do say so myself.

The topic of discussion this week is of a far different nature though. As many of you know I have a rather playful spirit and well I have never had to suffer the consequences of this playful behavior. However, life has a way of surprising you. My roommate and I were running around the house a few days ago and well…as mom always says “someone is going to get hurt.” Michelle was chasing me through the house and as I ran out of the room I closed the door behind me and she ran through the door. By that, I mean that the door was glass before, and after she flew through it there was no more glass on the door. The house was full of people running around, helping in every and any capacity and after a dreadfully long 15 minutes the ambulance arrived. Before they arrived, however, another young lady was told about the incident and passed out at the very thought of blood. In the process of falling to the ground, she hit her head on the wall causing a minor concussion. Michelle ended up with 22 stitches, a few scratches and some really lame medication. The events of this trip have brought us all back to reality and showed us our limits. We are relatively lucky to have made it through all of this as well as we have, but it is a little stressful to say the least.

This weekend we have decided to take it easy and stay in Lausanne on account of the fact that Michelle is walking with the aid of what we joke as “polio sticks” but are a lame version of crutches. Time to catch up on rest is much needed for me. I have averaged anywhere between 2-7 hours of sleep each night and my cold/cough hasn’t subsided yet on account of the lack of sleep. Life in Switzerland as stressful and crazy as it sounds is worth every minute of it and I am having the most incredible time of my life!!! Keep us all in your prayers.

Here are some pictures of the first few weeks in Swissy! copy and paste this link... http://picasaweb.google.com/Marshele.danner/SwissAlbum1#

Orientation

.I have been in Lausanne for about four days now and my body is finally adjusting to the change. We have been doing such fun things at orientation. On Sunday, we took a train ride to a wine vineyard where we walked around, took pictures, and tested grapes. We all had such a fun time and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. We made our way over to a boat, which we road over the lake toa quant district called Lutry. We had ice cream explored the town and some people went swimming. We ended the day at a Chinese buffet and went home to listen to music and hang out. Monday and Tuesday, we began “intensive French” which isn’t quite intensive but we split up and went on different field trips around Lausanne. We took a billion hour walk to see a garden and a caccon exhibit. The exhibit was throughout a wealthier neighborhood. Artists donated these giant cocoons to home owners and they were in each front yard. It was a symbol of renewal and transformation. We also took walked to the top of the main cathedral in Lausanne. From the top, there is a panoramic view of the city and the ringing of bells at the top of each hour. Next we took an incredible tour of a museum of l’art brut. This is a term to describe a raw kind of art done by artists who were outcasts, convicts, and many who suffered through psychiatric problems. All of the pieces had intense emotion and beautiful and disturbing stories behind them.

Our first day in Swissy!!

Im here!! after a very long plane ride we finally arrived in Geneva. We boarded a butterfly stenciled bus and proceeded to take a 30 minute bus ride to the campus in Lausanne with the music playing, our lips singing along and our heads full of excitement. Its always a strange feeling to go somewhere for the first time and you have no idea where you are. Especially if its dark out. All we could see were outlines of hills and lights on the horizon.

When we arrived at the house we unpacked till about 2 o clock and crawled into our cozy beds. The beds are so comfortable and if I do say so myself, Michelle and I have the cutest room. We had a room on the first floor but had the privilege of room shopping because apparently the first floor was coveted by people who thought they were escaping the stairs of Peppperdine only to find that elevators are not as common or as large as one would like.

Then there is the view. Then i woke up the next morning i looked out the window to see a grey watered lake Geneva perfectly placed behind quant apartment buildings and hovering over the water was a grayish blue mist. Behind that a faint outline of the mountains. God has truly blessed all of us here.

Saturday we had orientation kind of stuff, we took a tour of the house and all of Lausanne. The city is so quant and gorgeous and fun! We walked to different historical sights within the city and got a complete history of everything. Unfortunately, I don't think i or anyone else on the tour could tell you a single thing they told us. Sleep deprivation hit us all pretty hard today.

We decided to walk the town for our first evening out and found a great pub that seemed to be the local hotspot. I was delegated as the speaker of our group because apparently I knew the most french out of the 5 people in our group but apparently not seeing as I almost ordered 5 liters of beer for 5 people. The waiter wasn't too pleased with my lack of understanding but in the end it all worked out and the 72 franc, 5 liter beer was not delivered to our table. Note to self, understand the menu before you try to order.

So it begins...

I just arrived in Malibu this Monday. My day started early at 4am and ended around midnight. It was so great to be back in California. We went to the beach and spent a day watching dolphins, playing in the water, and laying in the sun. The smells, the weather, the people, the track, and even the cafeteria food are so exciting to get to experience again. I didn't realize how much i missed all the dynamic characteristics of Pepperdine.
The weather was great and it was so wonderful to see all of my friends. It's a time of hellos and goodbyes with hugs and tears for everyone here. The day ended with worship on the beach. The life at Pepperdine and the passion for God here is so incredible! It is so encouraging to see the faith of those around me flourish before my eyes.

Sea Shells Versus The Starfish

“Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Says 2 Corintians 5:17. As we embark upon the fall season, I am reminded of our surroundings and the changes that take place at this time of year. Kids go back to school. They leave the previous year behind them to continue growing. Trees lose their leaves in hopes of producing more come spring time. Our surroundings are saying goodbye to the things of old, only to welcome the new. My question for you today is this, “What are you giving up? What in your life are you letting die?”

The answers to this question vary from abusive relationships and sinful addictions to things that maybe shouldn’t be dying like your love for a spouse of close friend or prayer life. I have come to a realization recently that most things in life are an exchange of one for the other. It says in Mathew 6:24 Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Money is given as an example of this)”

There is a story by Rob Bell of a boy walking on the beach collecting broken sea shells. His hands are full of broken pieces of once living sea life, when he comes upon a rock with a large starfish on it. Instead of running toward the starfish and taking it, he simply looks dismayed. When his parents ask what is wrong and why he doesn’t go get the starfish, he begins to cry, “My hands are full of sea shells and I can’t pick it up. Is this not a perfect illustration of our lives? Many times we are too busy picking up shells or those meaningless tasks or wants in our lives that when we come across a divine opportunity, we hesitate. We have to exchange all of our little dead shells for the living starfish. Is it worth giving up? Are the things that we hold on to (the things that we consider so alive and the things that we think will benefit our future) alive? Maybe for a little bit they are. But God is eternal! God is everlasting! He is the starfish in our lives! I pray this week that you will recognize the sea shells in your life and you will leave them behind to pursue an eternal and living treasure, a life worthy of the calling of God.

From Gaudy to God-E

Have you ever met someone who is constantly concerned with how they look? They are always making sure they have the latest outfit or they their hair is always in the right place or maybe they go to the bathroom just to look at themselves in the mirror. Sometimes these people successfully fool us into believing that they have it all together and they are the perfect package or maybe not. Maybe you can see right through the façade they daily put on. If you have been fooled into believing these people or have even become one of these people yourself I want to give you a heads up: This is not the way God intended us to live.

God is a god of many things; however, physical appearance and circumstances are not one of the areas he concerns himself with or wants you to worry about either. In Proverbs 31:30 it reads, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” I understand this passage is speaking directly to women of Noble Character but it still stands true for men. It is easy for any of us to get caught up in appearances and basing our self worth on our appearance. As children of God, there are certain ways that we must present ourselves. I am not simply talking about modest clothing or excessive make-up either. I am talking about something that goes beyond our outer appearance. I am talking about how we are presenting ourselves on a character-based level. What is the attitude we approach people with? Are we living our lives to please God or are we trying to please ourselves or maybe even other people around us?

I think it is time we start holding up a spiritual mirror every morning and focus on a mental makeover rather than a facial. Make-up has always had the stigma of being a cover up, but have you ever thought that the reason we concern ourselves with our appearance so much is because its easier to cover up a blemish and comb out the tangles in our hair than it is to fix what is going on inside? The reality is that spiritual change is hard to make. It takes time and courage to look inside and find the cause of real issues and problems in our life.

I want to encourage you this week to take some time for yourself each day and examine your life. How am I treating the people I love? Am I representing Christ through demonstrating the fruits of the spirit? And if I am not doing those things, how might God want me to change? If we are daily clothing ourselves in Jesus Christ, our outer appearance will reflect what is going on inside. Our smile will be brighter and have a more genuine impact on strangers. Our eyes will be opened to see God’s blessings. Our clothing will reveal humility and reverence for God rather than revealing parts of our body.