I'm in love with my Hill of Squirrels

My thoughts about Squirrel Hill have been developing quicker than I can sort them and put them into words. The update of my life is that I am on my own, paying for my life, living in Squirrel Hill, PA, in Pittsburgh.

I am a... country girl. I know I have friends that would scoff at this notion, but for all intents and purposes I have lived my whole life in suburbia, closer to the cows than the city. I have always been more comfortable on my grandpa's farm in Delevan, NY than I was visiting my best friend in New York... or even driving around my own city of Pittsburgh. We only lived 25-30 minutes away from downtown, but I can probably count on my hand the times we went downtown while I was growing up, and they were always big events.

NOW... I literally can walk outside and see the Cathedral of Learning peeking over the trees. My street leads right into downtown. There are 4 pizza places and 3 coffee shops around the corner next to the small Manor Theatre. I am living in the city!

I can't tell you what I expected. I found a roommate and although I didn't flat out tell her she would or could, she decided where we lived. I mean I looked at apartments with her and I had favorites and at least one I really couldn't stand. But I didn't know where I wanted to live and I didn't know any area except Murrysville, so I didn't know what was nice and what wasn't.

So one day after signing a lease, pulling out, having 3 roommates, then loosing one, tarting our search over again, and visiting a few real dumps... we walked into "the castle." That is what Mozart Management called it when they told us where to meet them. They said "look for the big white castle looking building." And it is! We looked around, said we liked it and basically put down our first month's rent. I didn't really know where I was. I definitely didn't know what I was near or where in respect to Pittsburgh I was. I guess this is my version of either blind faith, or complete ignorance.

When I get a chance I will put up some pictures of the area and my favorite things so far. At the end of my street are a few... beautiful houses. I mean... they're just perfect in perfect location, on the edge of Schenley park. I never thought I would put down roots in Pittsburgh of all places... but I think I want to live in Squirrel Hill for a long time. :)

(Squirrel Hill Tunnel Grand Opening!)

Zechariah is exciting...!

I just came from a wonderful expository (right word?) sermon on Zechariah. I love the way my pastor does Sundays. In the morning he preaches through the new testament and the evening he preaches through the old testament, and even though it has me doing about 2 hours of driving for church on Sunday... I love coming away with a new appreciation for God's word!

Zechariah 9 was the topic and if I was to just read it in my devotionals I might have passed over it as a simple prophetic chapter that I can't exactly seem to understand. But Pastor Jack pointed out, for those less historically inclined, that this chapter tells almost the whole redemptive story of the history of God's people!

The even cooler part is that it is directly parallel with Alexander the Great's conquest and that led right to the sparing of Jerusalem, just like God said He would spare His people! Pastor Jack pointed out that Zechariah predicted the fall of Tyre, which Alexander did conquer in 6 months time. But at the time that this book was written that Type was superior and impregnable. King Nebuchadnezzar spent 13 years trying to take it any never could. Imagine hearing that prophecy and thinking... yeah right. Or even if you believed it, it would be pretty frightening. And then watching Alexander take Tyre, Gaza, Philistia... just exactly like Zechariah said he would and then coming to Jerusalem and sparing it because he had a dream about some priests. Exactly like it was predicted! Sometimes I look through the old testament and get excited and not often enough do I realize that the power of God enabled these men to foretell the future. That is something that even in today's day and age, where "magic" and wonders have become common place, we can hardly comprehend.

Read Zechariah 9 if you get a chance and have some historical awareness. Then be amazed, be VERY amazed!