Hi.
My name is Chandler Allen and I am not a good blogger.
I really do have excuses though! They may not be good...but they're excuses. First of all, we have been all kinds of busy the past few months. True, not so busy that I couldn't pause and take a few moments to give mini-updates.......but alas, they never happened. The only other attempt I have at an excuse is that the internet has been out at our house for about a month and so we have to go up to the school or coffee shops in order to do anything online. But still, I apologize to any of you who have been disappointed in my lack of cyber updates.
But hey! I'm here now! Better late than never posting again, am I right or am I right?
Tomorrow is December.
Tomorrow is December. I keep having to repeat this to myself in order to get it to sink in. December. Tomorrow. As in the last month of the year. I know it's so cliche to say that the time has flown by, but I'm going to say it anyways. It comes very near to stressing me out when I think about how quickly the time has gone. We are merely days away from being finished with the semester, which we are so looking forward to. The past few months have been crazy with school, jobs, church, and being newly weds. Don't misunderstand me, it has been a wonderful semester. We love being married. Really and truly, it is the best thing I've ever been part of. Hard as heck some days, but nonetheless so rewarding. Our God is good, people. He knows exactly what we need even when we're point blank telling Him we don't. I'm incredibly thankful He knows me a lot better than I do. Husband is an incredibly patient man, and together we are learning how to better love one another and how to better love our God. It's slow going sometimes but sanctification is not a quick process. I'm thankful for a man who loves me enough not to get frustrated with me when I continually leave my Chacos by the front door where he will trip over them, (It's not on purpose, I swear!) and instead just picks them up and puts them in the shoe rack. He loves me so well and I love the heck out of that man.
We have both been working quite a bit. He's still a barista at Mugwalls and I am working at a cafe in downtown Bryan. Both of us love our jobs and the people we work with, and while they are two opposite environments they are both exactly where we're supposed to be. We're grateful for such great places to work while we're still in school.
Funny enough, we are both doing better academically than either of us have in several semesters. Who'd have thought, right? A large portion of that is due to the fact that we're now only doing our major and minor courses so we're getting to take classes that really interest us. It's been a good semester, but both of us are definitely ready for graduation. I'll be taking six hours next semester and working a good bit, while Josh will still be full time. I'll graduate in May and he will most likely finish up in August.
All in all, not the most exciting or out of the ordinary semester. Really probably the most exciting thing to happen was a couple of weeks ago we had two weddings in one weekend. Both were some of our best friends, and one was in California and the other in Lubbock. It was an adventure but we were incredibly blessed to be able to participate in the covenants of two couples very special to us. But through all the business and bustle of the last semester, I have had one song playing in my head over and over and over again. It sometimes gets easy to be so preoccupied with the things going on around us that we forget what the entire purpose of this life is: To know Jesus and to make Him known. That is the only, only reason we even live. Everything else is and should be a product of those two things. Yet so quickly I get overwhelmed by all the things we need to get done and all the studying I need to do. And then, this song plays in my head:
All I once held dear, built my life upon,
All this world reveres and wars to own,
All I once thought gain I have counted loss,
Spent and worthless now, compared to this
Knowing You, Jesus
Knowing You,
There is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're the Best,
You're my joy, My righteousness,
And I love you, Lord.
The truth behind this song weighs heavy on my heart. Before I truly knew the Lord, my worth and value was completely in the things I had to do, the things I thought I had going for me, and the relationships I thought were more fulfilling than anything Christ had to offer. (All I once held dear...built my life upon). Seeing the things that the people around me are pressed to gain, earthly things like success and wealth people value above all else (All this world reveres and wars to own)...none of it is even comparable to just Knowing Jesus. Just knowing Him is enough. Knowing Him is worth more than any price, any item, any other relationship. Just to know Him, Him who is so perfect and blameless and yet loves with the deepest love sinners as broken as we are. There is no greater thing. It has been such a sweet reminder in this busy season of who I really serve and how fulfilling He is. There is no greater thing.
Well, that about does it for now. Pretty quick rundown of the last two months, but I promise to try my hardest to be a little more disciplined about updating those of you who keep up with us. Definitely check in over the next few weeks as we're going to be making a pretty exciting announcement!
(No, we are not pregnant, and shame on you for thinking it! You know who you are, Candace Scott). It's just an announcement once it's finalized on what the next step is going to be for The Allen's. So stay tuned!
We are greatly blessed by each of you and thank our Lord daily for the support and love from our family and friends. Have a happy last day of November, because oh yeah, tomorrow is December.
