get it together.

Many men go fishing all their lives not knowing it is not fish they are after.
–Henry David Thoreau

Sometimes I have to remind myself that there’s not another Al Hurndon.

There never will be.

No one will think like I do.

No one will make mistakes like I do.

No one has or will have the same responsibilities that I do and will.

Not everyone will come in contact with the same people that I do.

And, if you think this is a cocky post, you’re wrong. It’s a terrifying post.

Knowing that I, Allyson Hurndon, have one chance to get this whole “life” thing right.

yes, question your motives.

Kara Crosby and I met over coffee the other day. It had been months since we’d talked, so we found ourselves discussing everything that came to our minds. We hit the important stuff first: jobs, love lives, families, etc. And to an outsider, it must have been entertaining to listen in, as we packed months of life into about thirty minutes of dialogue.

But like most conversations I have with this woman, we found ourselves spilling out God’s pushes, shoves and uncomfortable movement in our lives.
I don’t remember the context, where it came from, or how we ended up stuck on it for so long, but suddenly we both began to confess our distaste for what we both called modern day Pharisees. My distaste followed with a serious heart-check and a realization that at times my motives have been like these men.

These verses from Matthew 23 sum up quite a bit:

“1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.[a] 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. 4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

5 “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.[b] 6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. 7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’[c]

8 “Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters.[d] 9 And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. 10 And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

I’d be foolish to think that these men only lived two thousand years ago, and that I can’t relate to them at all. I truly wish I could say that. But there are times where I’ve lived for that earthly exaltation alone.

Holiness does not have to be proven. No need to parade it around for your Christian friends to get a glimpse of. Your “supreme” knowledge of the ways of God isn’t helping anyone. It’s distasteful. It’s disgusting. Few can trust or relate to you anyways. Don’t share simply to gain recognition.

But gosh, if we are doing something semi-beneficial to humanity, the least we can do is “instagram” that moment real quick, add a nice filter, post it on twitter, feel good about ourselves, and call it a day.

Share things with the intention of building the church.

Of expanding the kingdom.

And even at the end of all this, I sincerely question my own motives for even writing it.

dave.

Dear Dave Lapham,

I didn't feel like I gave you a proper goodbye, so...

My favorite memories are of us throwing Frisbees til’ three in the morning while playing Tempur Trap over and over.

Going to downtown Orlando and photographing everything and everyone we could.

Acting like we’re talented enough to host our own reality show.


You are:

One of a kind.
Reliable.
Driven.
Sarcastic.
Dashingly handsome.
Awkward.
One of my favorite people in the world.


I don’t deserve such a good friend.
Love you, brother.
Miss you.
See you in Nashville soon. (I’ll make sure of it.)

-AL

(P.S. This is my brother, people. Don’t take it out of context and make it weird.)

India.

OK, so I introduced it briefly in my last post, but here is the big news I’ve been holding out on fully saying.

I AM GOING TO INDIA! (Yes, I am shouting here…those were intentional capital letters.)

Not forever folks, but for two weeks. This July I’ll be working and living in an orphanage with a co-worker/friend of mine, Crystal Kemper.

I had never planned on going to India. I had never desired to go to India. In fact, this became a place in my mind that I had written-off as “somewhere I need not venture to”. Nothing about this country drew my attention.

That is until recently.

My heart is heavy for these kids that I haven’t met yet. I can almost see their smiles in my mind and picture the details of their individual faces. I am itching to be there. To be with them and love them. To somehow express Christ through my actions towards them. To serve these people that I once was so apathetic towards.

I am in awe of the Lord on this one. For those of you that know me, I am usually pretty practical (perhaps overly so) when it comes to trips and money and being responsible with what you have been given. But on this one, I’m letting God take it.

Now, don’t hear this wrong. I am not saying it is good to be irresponsible with money, knowing that God will provide anyways. Not at all!
For me, God is testing my faith. He’s allowing me to trust. Forcing me to rest in a time when my initial reaction would be to become overwhelmed, anxious and stressed.

The Kicker: I need to raise $2600 in less than two months. I’ll be selling headbands, hosting a game/Bingo night and putting on a benefit show in order to make this trip a reality. Your help means more than you could possibly realize. It would make my year to be able to raise more than this amount and bless this orphanage with extra funds.
Be on the lookout for a video I’ll be posting soon with updates on the events I’ll be hosting.

I leave you with this: Be on the look out for what the Lord may have in store. Expect the unexpected.

And just maybe, He’ll use something you had no intention of doing in order to show His glory through you.

holy irony.

I’ve always thought of the Lord as having this great sense of humor.

Almost as if He waits for you to speak your mind in that self-assured tone,
as you hold your phlegmatic expression and confidently declare to all
how and what you’re going to do with your life…

…So He may come in and alter it completely.

…So he can change your mindset to His. And, by using what you once viewed as impractical or undesirable, He may be made more recognizable in it all.


So when I blurted out that I’d probably never visit India,

I should have known that He’d "pull one" on me.